The Atlanta Hawks aren’t winning a championship anytime soon. But what needs to happen for them to be in that conversation some years down the line?
Believe it or not, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors didn’t become elite teams overnight. It all started with finding solid cornerstone pieces to build the franchise with.
Right now, the only player that has shown they have what it takes to be an all-star caliber athlete for the Atlanta Hawks is Dennis Schroder. That’s a start, but the Hawks need to find at least two, maybe three more players with that type of potential. With so many young players, Atlanta may find those players next season.
Dennis Schroder (23) DeAndre Bembry (23), Taurean Prince (23), John Collins (19), Mike Muscala (26), Tyler Dorsey (21), and Nicolas Brussino (24) are all young players that’ll be looking to impress Coach Mike Budenholzer and the Atlanta Hawks staff this upcoming season. This year will be a tryout run for the Hawks youth to prove they have what it takes to land more of a permanent role with the team.
It’s a great possibility that the Hawks find that player next year. But Atlanta could have three picks in the 2018 NBA draft. The Atlanta Hawks don’t have a very talented squad. So Atlanta missing the playoffs and going into the lottery won’t be a shock to anyone.
This isn’t a bad thing. The Hawks just have to make sure they pick wisely. They’ll have to get lucky a few times and hope to find steals in the draft. The Hawks also want to make sure that if they trade any players they get future assets back. You just never know which draft you’ll find that future star in. So the more picks and young players the better.
Once they find out whose talented or not, the next step is keeping the potential stars on the team by signing them to reasonable contracts. The Atlanta Hawks have to stay financially flexible just in case they want to go after any stars in summers to come. When you develop well-coached players, have cap space, and a charismatic coach who cares about their players, it can attract big free agents.
Also, Travis Schlenk will have to take chances and not try to cut too many corners. A GM has to trust that a player is worth signing to a big contract. Holding on to money would suggests you plan on signing big free agents, and for Atlanta, that hasn’t gone well in recent year’s.
In order to sign players of all-star level potential that the franchise helped to develop, loyalty has to be somewhere in the mix. The players have to have a reason for staying with the Hawks for cheaper then what another teams would pay them.
This could be coaching, tradition, city, teammates, etc.. The bottom line is that the Hawks have to maintain an atmosphere of cohesiveness and tight knit chemistry if they want players to stay here, and if they want players to play here.
Next: From skateboards to travesty: The journey of Dennis Schroder
Reasonable contracts, risk-taking, great decision-making in the draft, good player development, and a little luck lead to the powerhouse franchises of today. If Atlanta wants to be a top tier team in the future, this is the recipe they’ll have to live by during this rebuild.