Now that the season is more than a month old it is time to look at the Atlanta Hawks roster in some depth and understand why the season has gone the way it has for some players. There have been a number of injuries, but there are players who also have not lived up to expectations.
Due to injuries, Danilo Gallinari, Tony Snell, Kris Dunn, and Onyeka Okongwu are all not included in this analysis. With the exception of Dunn, all of these players have come back from their various injuries and are starting to play as advertised.
Two-way players are also not going to be included as they really do not get enough court time to show their worth. On a positive note, Nathan Knight has shown true glimpses of potential which need to be nurtured.
The Atlanta Hawks have had some really positive signs
Before I go down the negative path, the Hawks have shown some incredible upside given how bad they were last season. Trae Young has reminded us why he was an All-Star a year ago. Yes, he did have a slump but he has come out of that well. He is third in the league in assists and has developed a terrific connection with Clint Capela.
The Swiss pivot has also been tremendous, rebounding the ball, defending the paint, or finishing lobs from Young and others. On top of that John Collins has shown us why he took a gamble on himself and made himself a max-level free agent, rather than simply signing his rookie-max extension. De’Andre Hunter has also taken a huge leap from his rookie year.
However, we are examining the three players who have been disappointing this season so let’s get to it.