Despite that and their bottom-10 rankings in offensive and defensive rating, last season laid the foundation for what could become a long, successful era of Hawks basketball. Rookie point guard Trae Young played well enough to quell the critics who were prepared to label him a bust.
Second-year forward John Collins progressed on both ends of the court. Their effective field goal and true shooting percentages were respectable. And as underwhelming as it was, the offense did show some promising signs.
Those glimmers of hope and their subsequent productive offseason has put the Hawks in an interesting spot. The team is too good to be lumped in with such hopeless causes like the New York Knicks or the Charlotte Hornets but they’re still a piece or two away from becoming a threat in the Eastern Conference.
That wonky juxtaposition has made the Hawks one of the more intriguing teams for the 2019-20 season. Much like last year, they’ll experience their lumps, but there’s plenty to be excited about if you’re a Hawks fan.
Dallas Mavericks</a> as part of the infamous Trae Young/Luka Doncic trade in 2018 to take Duke wing Cam Reddish 10th overall.</p>
<p>Relative to Hunter and the other Duke players in the 2019 draft class, Reddish is not as <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/09/15/atlanta-hawks-5-reasons-to-be-excited-for-2019-20-nba-season/"https://www.thestepien.com/cameron-reddish/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">highly regarded</a>, but he also fits into that “multifaceted defender who can space the floor” mold.</p>
<p>They also brought in former Maryland center Bruno Fernando to fill the void left by Dewayne Dedmon, who signed with the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/09/15/atlanta-hawks-5-reasons-to-be-excited-for-2019-20-nba-season/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/new-orleans-pelicans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sacramento Kings</a> during the summer, becoming another big, springy body who could benefit from Young’s playmaking.</p>
<p>If these guys and incumbents like Kevin Huerter and DeAndre’ Bembry live up to expectations, this team could exceed their muted projections.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/09/15/atlanta-hawks-5-reasons-to-be-excited-for-2019-20-nba-season/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 2 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-347147" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/09/15/atlanta-hawks-5-reasons-to-be-excited-for-2019-20-nba-season/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1095221994.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1095221994.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1095221994-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>2. John Collins</h3>
<p>His forgettable performance in last February’s dunk contest notwithstanding, forward John Collins enjoyed a breakout season in 2018-19. Receiving a substantial minutes bump, the former Demon Deacon expounded on the work he put in during 2018 Summer League and became one of the NBA’s best-kept secrets.</p>
<p>Collins’ sophomore season has been <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/09/15/atlanta-hawks-5-reasons-to-be-excited-for-2019-20-nba-season/"https://hoopshabit.com/2019/07/31/atlanta-hawks-2018-19-player-grades-john-collins/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discussed at length on this site</a>, so here’s the short version: The bouncy big man upped his scoring on increased scoring without sacrificing volume, becoming a sturdy pick-and-roll dance partner with Trae Young.</p>
<div class="embed embed-video"><iframe width="500" height="281" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/09/15/atlanta-hawks-5-reasons-to-be-excited-for-2019-20-nba-season/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/A7Wk39ZOpzo?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>Coming off of a season where he tallied a respectable .158 WS/48 in 61 games, the Hawks hope that Collins will continue on this All-Star trajectory. The front office has surrounded him with enough shooters to keep the lanes clear for takeoff and with Young and Evan Turner around to feed him alley-oops, we could see a lot more Collins highlights in 2019-20.</p>
<p>Additionally, Collins’ 3-point shooting will keep defenders from sagging into the paint on ball screens, which will benefit the perimeter players on drives to the rim and will give Collins some chances to catch some slower bigs flat-footed with an occasional off-dribble attack.</p>
<p>For Atlanta to take the next step in their rebuild, Collins must continue to improve. It should be a fun process to watch.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/09/15/atlanta-hawks-5-reasons-to-be-excited-for-2019-20-nba-season/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-335212" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/09/15/atlanta-hawks-5-reasons-to-be-excited-for-2019-20-nba-season/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1280,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F04%2F1086409392.jpeg" alt="NBA Power Rankings" width="1600" height="1280" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/1086409392.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/1086409392-768x614.jpeg 768w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/1086409392-600x480.jpeg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>1. Trae Young</h3>
<p><a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/09/15/atlanta-hawks-5-reasons-to-be-excited-for-2019-20-nba-season/"https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/12/atlanta-hawks-2018-19-player-grades-trae-young/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How good is Trae Young</a>? Depending on who you ask, he is either the NBA’s next superstar point guard or a promising player with glaring question marks. Is he too small to withstand the rigors of the pro game? Will he shoot efficiently at the next level? Can he get past NBA-level defenders? Did the Hawks make the right decision trading Luka Doncic for him?</p>
<p>Last season, Young responded to those concerns with a somewhat resounding yes. Sure, his 3-point shooting started shakily — he made only 31.2 percent during the first half of the year — but his college reputation kept defenses honest to some extent, which gave him free rein to dice up opponents with passes like this:</p>
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<video class="wp-video-shortcode" id="video-369988-1" width="640" height="360" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/09/15/atlanta-hawks-5-reasons-to-be-excited-for-2019-20-nba-season/"https://ssl.cdn.turner.com/nba/big/nba/wsc/2019/01/10/5ff1f381-74fc-7437-2c8e-9d74c72dbd79.nba_3098628_1920x1080_5904.mp4?_=1%22>
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<p>Post-All-Star break, Young kicked it up a notch, improving his per game and efficiency stats and giving Doncic a serious run for Rookie of the Year. He torched teams with his shooting, navigated the pick-and-roll like a Formula One driver and gift wrapped easy points for his teammates. Looking at clips like the one below, it’s easy to see why Hawks fans are so excited about him.</p>
<div style="width: 640px;" class="wp-video"><video class="wp-video-shortcode" id="video-369988-2" width="640" height="360" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/09/15/atlanta-hawks-5-reasons-to-be-excited-for-2019-20-nba-season/"https://ssl.cdn.turner.com/nba/big/nba/wsc/2019/03/14/418625ce-da61-dbab-31dd-779f17a7060c.nba_3480764_1920x1080_5904.mp4?_=2%22>
