The Atlanta Hawks rebuilding process is already set in place. What is the next step for making it successful?
We are all aware of the moves made by the Atlanta Hawks this offseason, as the team began the process of rebuilding the roster to eventually become more relevant in the Eastern Conference. The main question now is, where exactly do the Hawks go from here? Some of the Soaring Down South staff came together to give their thoughts on what the next step to a successful rebuild is.
Ryan Akin
The next step is developing their young core which means giving them PT! Even if the Atlanta Hawks finally get that star we’ve all been waiting for in next years draft it won’t do the team much good unless we’re able to surround him with complementary pieces who can grow together. Between Taurean Prince, Deandre Bembry, and John Collins the Hawks have a lot of young potential talent and zero expectations to win which is the perfect formula for getting guy’s the experience they need in order to begin a successful rebuild.
Ross Alacqua
The next step for a successful Atlanta Hawks rebuild is to find out what they have in their young core. Dennis Scroder needs to continue to develop his game. More specifically though, the Hawks need to see exactly what they have in Taurean Prince, John Collins and DeAndre Bembry. Are they starters? Rotation players? The Hawks need to know the gaps still left to fill in the upcoming draft and offseason. The more minutes these guys play this season, the better. There is still a long way to go with this roster but the more Prince, Collins and Bembry can provide, the faster this rebuild happens.
Da’Vonte Hughes
The next step in the Hawks rebuilding process is developing our homegrown talent. The Hawks have some key cornerstone pieces in Dennis Schroder, Taurean Prince, Deandre Bembry, and John Collins. With 3 1st round picks in this next years draft it will be key to hit on on all 3 in hopes to make this rebuild process flow smoothly. This season season will obviously be hard to watch but watching our own players grow and develop will be worth the wait in the long run.
Rocky Robertson
The next step to making the Hawks rebuild successful is properly utilizing the playing time of the inexperienced players. It is important to give John Collins significant playing time, but it is even more vital that Mike Budenholzer doesn’t just throw him 32+ mpg. There is no rush and they have already done a great job drafting and signing talent. Now they must properly develop them.
Phil Veasley
What’s the next step for making the Atlanta Hawks rebuild successful? For the Hawks to make this a successful rebuild they need to continue to build on the culture that was established the first two years Bud was coach. This summer displayed a trend back toward that path with value signings of guys who fit his system. Smart drafting will also be key over the next few offseasons as well as not overpaying for guys who will not get us over the hump.
Xavier Cooper
The next step in making the Atlanta Hawks rebuild successful is getting all the young guys to buy in the system, and make the most of the offseason. I believe it’ll be very important for Coach Mike Budenholzer to put an emphasis on improving during the summer leading up until the next year. Potential means nothing if it’s never nurtured the right way. Players do get better in the regular season. But a major bulk of a player’s improvement comes in the offseason when no one’s looking. I think Coach Bud needs to make sure these guys know exactly what they suck at when the season ends so that they don’t relax for an entire 5-6 months. Improvement in the offseason is what’s going to push the Hawks to elite level.
Nile Goodwyn
The 2018 Trade Deadline has the potential to be an overlooked, yet very important time for the Atlanta Hawks and their subsequent rebuild. During the offseason, the Hawks front office obtained a number of attractive veterans, who will help to avoid the team from becoming a train wreck. Aside from this, Ersan Illyosova, Dewayne Dedmon, Marco Belinelli, and similar players will have the trade value to possibly attract playoff teams, and in turn nab the Hawks young players or additional picks in the loaded 2018 NBA Draft.