3. Continued improvement from the young guns
Certainly, the most obvious reason why the Hawks will continue to improve is that their young players will continue to improve. Most notably, Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter should be a real bright spot for the Atlanta Hawks next season.
Both Reddish and Hunter had extremely promising rookie seasons and while progress isn’t always linear, these guys being one year older should help the Hawks immensely. Even if their offensive production doesn’t improve drastically, I think we can expect significant improvement defensively.
Both Hunter and Reddish also showed flashes of being potential All-Stars one day and at the very least they will be serviceable three and D players in the NBA. If they can continue to improve their chemistry with Trae Young and John Collins, while improving individually, they will help the Hawks playoff chances immensely.
How far the Atlanta Hawks are able to go over the next few years is largely dependent upon Trae Young, but it’s also dependent on how much Reddish and Hunter are able to improve. If Trae Young and John Collins can produce at an All-Star level and Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter can average roughly 15-5-5 while providing elite effort on both ends, they will make the playoffs.
No pressure though…