After having arguably the most active offseason in the NBA, the Atlanta Hawks will need to figure out who will take the floor as starters this season.
This year’s NBA offseason has been unlike any other we’ve ever seen with so many uncertainties swirling around the start of the season. With preseason games set to start next week, teams haven’t been able to operate and prepare on their normal offseason schedules. The Atlanta Hawks, however, did a lot to put themselves in the best possible position to win in the very near future. General Manager Travis Schlenk is being praised around the league as the MVP of the offseason. They expedited their rebuilding process with a series of moves that many speculate could land them in the playoffs as soon as this season.
The most glaring problems that the Hawks needed to address this offseason were their lack of defense, shooting, and veteran experience. The moves the Hawks made addressed all three, but adding so much new talent to the roster has led to much speculation. Some fans have been questioning John Collins’ future with the team while others are confused about who the starting five will ultimately be.
Let’s start by taking a look at the guys that we can almost guarantee to be locks as starters for the Hawks this year.
Atlanta Hawks’ starting lineup locks
Three guys for this Atlanta Hawks team should undoubtedly be in the starting lineup for the squad this season. Each of these players has established themselves as integral parts of the team’s future and given their health, will play major roles in the Hawks’ success this season.
The first is probably the most obvious. The future of the franchise. The reason all of these offseason moves were made in the first place.
1. Trae Young – Point Guard
The drafting of Trae Young in 2018 ushered in a new era of Atlanta Hawks basketball. He’s proved to be the Hawks’ best draft pick in recent memory, coming in second in Rookie of the Year votes to Luka Doncic and even snagging some most-improved player votes this past season.
In 20 fewer games than his rookie year, Young raised his field goal percentage from 41 to 43 percent and his three-point percentage from 32 to 36 percent. If percentages don’t do it for you, Young almost averaged a 30-piece last year, coming in fourth behind James Harden, Bradley Beal, and Damian Lillard.
What he lacks in size and stature, he makes up for by being a certified bucket getter. One of the best point guards in the league heading into his third year, Young’s passing ability may be more impressive than his scoring. The Hawks have added scorers to their roster to alleviate some of the pressure from Young, so it should be fun to watch him create with the rest of this roster.
2. John Collins – Power Forward
His future with the Atlanta Hawks has been widely discussed this offseason but if he’s on this roster, John Collins will be their starting power forward.
The signings of Danilo Gallinari and the drafting of Onyeka Okongwu had some Hawks fans speculating about John Collins’ future with the team. When you combine those additions with the fact that Collins will most likely be seeking a max contract when he becomes a restricted free agent next summer., it’s easy to see how some might jump to the conclusion that Collins’ days with the team are numbered.
The organization has since made it known that Collins isn’t going anywhere, at least not this season. Danilo Gallinari has also confirmed that he signed with the Atlanta Hawks under the assumption that he would be backing up Collins at power forward.
Danilo Gallinari said it was correct when Travis Schlenk said the other day that he would be signing on for a backup role if he signed on with the Hawks. He believes in this team.
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) December 2, 2020
Collins should be looking to have his breakout year. After missing some time last year, he’ll get a full season with Trae Young, and a true center to alleviate some of his paint pressure.
3. Clint Capela – Center
The Atlanta Hawks snagged Clint Capela last season in a four-team deal that should prove to be beneficial for all involved at some point.
ESPN Sources: 4-team trade agreement: Houston: Robert Covington; Atlanta: Clint Capela and Nene; Minnesota: Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez, Evan Turner, ATL 1st round pick via Nets; Denver: Gerald Green, Houston FRP.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 5, 2020
The first question Hawks fans had was would Capela and Collins be able to work well together in a Hawks frontcourt. Though he never made his official on-court debut with the Hawks due to a heel injury. surrounding both Capela and Collins with shooters and playmakers like the Hawks have done should prove to work well.
Now just 26 years old and still on a fairly affordable contract, Capela will start this season healthy for the Hawks and look to provide immediate assurance in the areas of defense and rebounding. In the 39 games he played with Houston last year, Capela averaged 13.8 rebounds per game and 1.8 blocks. Expect Capela to step in and immediately give the Hawks the big man presence they’ve so desperately needed for the past several years.
Cam Reddish – Shooting Guard
Cam Reddish‘s first season as an Atlanta Hawk was much more of a roller coaster than he and fans had anticipated but he did show signs of improvement and potential. He got off to a really rough start but ended up being one of the best rookies in the league by the end of the Hawks’ short season.
Reddish finished the year averaging 10.5 points per game shooting 38 percent from the field and only 33 percent from three. As I stated before, these numbers don’t reflect Cam’s numbers later in the season but are rather dragged down by his slow start. For reference, in the 27 games of the season that were played in the calendar year of 2020, Cam Reddish posted shooting splits of 44/39/83, which are much more noteworthy than his season average might suggest.
With the other offseason moves the Hawks made though, it’ll be tough to know who will take the floor as the starter at the shooting guard spot. One advantage that Reddish has over the other possible start Bogdan Bogdanovic is defense. Cam has been known as a solid defender since his days at Duke and got better on that side of the ball as the season went on. At 6-8, it would make sense for the Hawks to start Cam to cover for Trae defensively, but we’ll have to wait and see how the Hawks prioritize scoring to start the season.
Bogdan Bogdanovic – Shooting Guard
The Atlanta Hawks were able to sign Bogdan Bogdanovic to a four-year, $72 million dollar deal after the Sacramento Kings failed to match that offer sheet. Fans were wowed by the price tag it took to secure the Serbian shooter but it should prove to be a good move for GM Travis Schlenk and the Hawks.
For Hawks GM Travis Schlenk, it was a wise gamble to overpay market value on Bogdanovic. That’s how you land players in restricted free agency. Now, Bogdan joins Danilo Gallinari as centerpieces of an ATL free agency class that's reshaped roster around All-Star guard Trae Young.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 25, 2020
The price tag that Bogdonavic came with caused speculation around whether he’d be immediately inserted into the starting lineup to provide more scoring and size around Trae Young. Bogdanovic is surely a more established scorer than Cam Reddish but Reddish’s defense could prove to be what keeps him on the floor for tough minutes.
It’s still very much up in the air who the Hawks will start in the backcourt with Trae Young but either way, it’ll be a young and capable guy with the ability to score. It’ll simply come down to whether the Hawks want more scoring or defense on the floor to start their games. There’s even a possibility of them starting together with Bogdanovic at the two and Reddish at small forward.
We’ll just have to wait and see. Good problem to have for the Hawks.
De’Andre Hunter – Small Forward
General Manager Travis Schlenk’s confirmation that Danilo Gallinari was signed to back up John Collins leaves room for De’Andre Hunter to start at small forward for the Hawks.
Hunter had a pretty good rookie season for the Hawks, averaging 12.3 points per game on 41/35/76 shooting splits. He didn’t rebound the ball particularly well, just pulling in 4.5 per game, so he should look to improve on that in the starting spot this year if he’s awarded it.
Kevin Huerter – Shooting Guard/Small Forward
One name that’s sort of gotten lost in the shuffle after the draft and noteworthy free agency moves is Kevin Huerter‘s. Red Velvet started in most of the games he played in last season but missed some time due to a rotator cuff injury.
Huerter’s field goal percentage has stayed consistent his first two seasons in the league, falling ever-so-slightly from .419 to .413. The same goes for his three-point shooting percentage, going from .385 to .380. He’s mostly known as a spot-up shooter which could or could not be necessary with Trae and Bogdanovic on the floor. Huerter isn’t particularly good defensively or on the boards which may make someone like Cam Reddish more likely to start.
The Atlanta Hawks should be poised to make their first playoff push in a while after drafting well and signing dome major free agents. They’ve done a good job surrounding Trae Young with shooters and guys who can help him hide his defensive struggles.
As the season draws nearer we’ll have to look for training camp news and updates as well as how the preseason goes to see who will ultimately lead the way on this now new-look Atlanta Hawks roster.