Atlanta Hawks: The case for qualifying directly for the playoffs

I recently wrote about why the Atlanta Hawks would benefit from qualifying for the play-in tournament. It may help the team develop chemistry as players come back into the squad as they return from injury.

However, the Hawks have been playing so well when they hit the court that they probably do not need to have the extra games. It may not hurt for them to get some extra time together on the court but the danger of extra court time could impact the team.

The Hawks have lost too many players to injury this season to want to risk extra game time. In three games the Hawks have lost Trae Young to an ankle, Clint Capela sat out a game with a back injury, Kevin Huerter to a shoulder injury, and Brandon Goodwin to an ankle injury.

The Atlanta Hawks need to get some rest time.

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The Hawks are limping to the finish line of the season, in some cases, they are literally limping. However, thanks to the tremendous coaching of Nate McMillan, they are still in contention to qualify directly into the playoffs.

Fortunately, the Hawks hold the tiebreaker over the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat so they almost have a game in hand over these two franchises. This could be crucial in the run home for the Hawks.

The Hawks have a really tough run home which will influence where they finish this season. They are almost guaranteed a spot in the play-in tournament with the number of wins they have accumulated over the season so far.

However, if they are going to make any noise in the playoffs, they need to beat some of the teams they have coming up. They may struggle to beat the Philadelphia76ers twice and the Phoenix Suns. they need to take care of business against the Washinton Wizards who they meet twice. The future is in their hands.