Atlanta Hawks Almost Nowhere to be Found on 2018 NBA GM Survey
By Chris Guest
The NBA’s GM Survey was recently revealed, and the Atlanta Hawks and their youthful centerpieces were almost nowhere to be found.
Though expectations are high in 2018-19 among Atlanta Hawks fans, NBA General Managers around the league (or at least the low-level lackeys that are forced to answer these questions in the GM’s stead) have different opinion on the Hawks young guns, according to the survey by John Schuhmann of NBA.com.
Unsurprisingly, no Hawks made any of the major categories such as MVP, DPOY or categories like “what player would you like to build a franchise around,” but you would expect plenty of rookie categories to be sprinkled with the likes of Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and Omari Spellman – or a token mention of Taurean Prince or John Collins in some of the other categories.
Instead, there was nary a peep of Young’s name on the list and the only Atlanta Hawks players mentioned were indeed Huerter and Spellman. Even then, they were only “honorable mentions” in the “which rookie was the biggest steal at where he was selected in the draft?” category.
Young seems as if he is getting short shrift this offseason, as his name should likely appear somewhere on this list:
Which rookie will be the best player in five years?
1. DeAndre Ayton, Phoenix – 27%
Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis – 27%
3. Luka Doncic, Dallas – 17%
4. Marvin Bagley III, Sacramento – 13%
Kevin Knox, New York – 13%
6. Wendell Carter Jr., Chicago – 3%
In terms of the rookie of the year odds, GMs were bullish on Young’s trade partner, Luka Doncic:
Who will win the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year?
1. Luka Doncic, Dallas – 43%
2. Marvin Bagley III, Sacramento – 17%
Wendell Carter Jr., Chicago – 17%
4. DeAndre Ayton, Phoenix – 13%
While Doncic will certainly have plenty of opportunities to showcase his skill set on a vastly improved Mavericks team, it seems odd that Young, who will likely be Lloyd Pierce’s first choice as the team’s starting point guard, did not receive a single vote in the category.
Perhaps that supposed snub will lead to become even more engaged and excited about proving the doubters wrong with plays like this one:
Either way, we can’t wait for the season to start.
Keep it locked to Soaring Down South for all your Atlanta Hawks news and updates as the regular season rapidly approaches.