The NBA season is less than two months away from getting underway, but now is the time to see how each team stacks up against the other and how the conference races might play out. The offseason is at a standstill and no major moves are likely to be made between now and the start of the next season so the rosters that each team has is likely what they are going into the season with.

One of the most interesting teams to talk about in terms of where they might end up is the Atlanta Hawks. This offseason, Atlanta made the decision to move on from Dejounte Murray and put more pieces around Trae Young. They acquired Dyson Daniels and Larry Nance in the Murray deal and they drafted French forward Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick. They have tried to improve their defense and size this offseason and you could argue they have done that. Will that result in more wins and a return trip to the NBA Play-In Tournament or the playoffs? We will have to wait and see.

One analyst does not believe that is going to be the fate of the Hawks though. Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes wrote about each of the play-in teams from last season and whether they would make or miss the playoffs and he has the Hawks back in the NBA Draft Lottery, which would hurt due to them not having their own 2025 draft pick next year. Here is what he had to say about the Hawks prospects for next season:

“The Atlanta Hawks should finish ahead of the Bulls, a Play-In entrant last year that doesn’t figure to return to that level in 2024-25. But Trae Young and Co. are still up against a numbers game; none of the other teams that finished above them in the standings projects to be any weaker than they were last year.

In fact, it’s easier to foresee improvement than decline from each of the (deep breath) Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics. All eight of those teams finished with at least 10 more wins than the Hawks last season.

Maybe Atlanta can defy the odds by finding better roster balance in the wake of the trade that swapped out Dejounte Murray for a package headlined by Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. and a pair of future first-round picks. And maybe the Hawks will get an All-NBA season out of Young, who is once again the team’s solo on-ball creator with Murray out of the picture.

If the Hawks can’t keep pace with the eight teams that finished ahead of them last season, they could pursue future-focused trades. Atlanta could shop Clint Capela, De’Andre Hunter and any other vet who doesn’t project as a strong support piece for the next iteration of the team, which’ll be built around No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher and Jalen Johnson.

Plus, the Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets are both capable of overtaking the Hawks in the standings and preventing them from even seeing the Play-In in the first place.”

Prediction: Lottery

I disagree with this. While I don’t think the Hawks have the ability to make a run to the top of the Eastern Conference, I think they have a good enough roster to at least make the NBA Play-In Tournament and maybe even crack the top six.

 Trae Young is still leading the offense and the Hawks have made an effort to address their weaknesses from last season. Atlanta has potentially upgraded on defense and they have gotten bigger. Dyson Daniels has the potential to be a high-level two-way player for the Hawks and could be an ideal starting guard to put next to Young if he can knock down shots on offense. Jalen Johnson took a major leap forward last year and if he can stay healthy, he could be even better. Atlanta has veterans such as Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Andre Hunter, Clint Capela, Onyeka Okongwu, and Larry Nance to provide depth. Another X-factor could be how much second-year guard Kobe Bufkin can contribute this year. Bufkin has had some injuries but has flashed when given the chance. The Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick and he has a chance to provide size on defense and shooting on the other end. Is he ready to contribute from day one?

Young is one of the best playmakers and shot creators in the NBA and the Hawks should still be fine on that end without Dejounte Murray. Can they improve enough on defense and have the younger players take another step forward? If so, the Hawks should be able to make a playoff push.