Despite a few major changes to the roster, the Atlanta Hawks will try and make their tenth-straight playoff appearance. Here are four reasons why they will.
The Atlanta Hawks have become one of the most consistently successful franchises in the NBA.
After an eight-year dry spell of missing out on the postseason from 1999-2007, they have appeared in the playoffs for nine-straight seasons.
A large reason for their sustained success was drafting Al Horford in 2007, which was the same season the streak began. Ever since, he has become a cornerstone player for this team but now, he’ll be suiting up for the conference rival Boston Celtics after agreeing to sign with them in free agency this summer.
Another key player, Jeff Teague, will also be absent from the Hawks’ roster this season. Teague was traded to the Indiana Pacers prior to the NBA Draft. Teague was the floor general for seven of the nine postseason runs.
With Horford and Teague gone, it allows Atlanta to being a new era but continue their postseason streak. Seeing Horford and Teague go wasn’t easy, but that core ran it’s course and never was able to advance to the NBA Finals.
This somewhat new group of core players want to extend the streak to ten-straight playoff trips, a great accomplishment in itself. Of course, the goal is to win an NBA title, but the Eastern Conference has improved significantly over the years.
The major roster turnover has caused some to instill doubt of whether or not a postseason appearance is realistic next season for the Hawks. Let’s take a look four reasons why they will sustain the level of success.
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