The Atlanta Hawks are going back to the postseason for the first time since the 2016-17 season. During the time of writing of this article, there is a mathematical chance that the Hawks could drop to the play-in tournament but it is extremely unlikely.
They have a solid mix of players who have been to the post-season and those who have not. This was part of the brilliance of bringing in all the veterans over the past year and a half. Clint Capela, Tony Snell, Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams, and Solomon Hill have all contributed to playoff teams in the postseason.
On the other side of the coin, Kevin Huerter, Trae Young, John Collins, De’Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu, Kris Dunn, and Bogdan Bogdanovic have not tasted playoff action yet. This is where we are going to start with the players who have everything to prove this postseason.
Atlanta Hawks player with it all to prove No. 1) Bogdan Bogdanovic
The Serbian shooting sensation Bogdanovic has been huge since he came back from injury prior to the All-Star break. He has been a massive reason for the Hawks’ surprising turnaround this season. He has not seen post-season action during his time in the NBA.
The reason for this is that he has only played with the Sacramento Kings prior to signing with the Hawks. They own the longest playoff drought in the NBA. There is no reason that Bogdanovic should not be able to continue his incredible play going into his first postseason action
Atlanta Hawks player with it all to prove No. 2) Kevin Huerter
Huerter has played his last three seasons with the Hawks. He has grown each season and this has really benefitted the Hawks this season. He has played so many roles with the team which shows his versatility, which is a quality that coach Nate McMillan values highly.
Huerter’s numbers do not jump off the page at you. He is averaging 12.0 points, 3.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 31.0 minutes per game. He is shooting the ball at 43.2 percent from the floor, 36.4 percent from deep, and 79.0 percent from the line this season.
This is part of the joy of Huerter, he is going to give you what you need as a team each and every night. He can hit the 3-ball, drive to the mid-range to hit the bucket, or he can get to the hoop for a dunk or get a foul. He is leading the Hawks in steals, he also rebounds well to start the fast break and is a tremendous playmaker.
He can do it as the primary playmaker in the second unit or the secondary playmaker alongside Young. The question is, can he do all of this on the bigger stage of the playoffs as he has not been there? He has a contract extension due in the offseason and he could gain or lose money depending on his playoff performance.
Atlanta Hawks player with it all to prove No. 3) Trae Young
Up until this season, Young has been putting up numbers on a losing team. This has led to various questions about his ability to lead a franchise to the playoffs. This criticism has been largely unfair as he was a rookie coming into a team that was rebuilding and had very few crucial veterans.
There have been questions about his effort on defense, whether is he able to play well with others, and many others. Well, it is safe to say that Young has answered those questions and more with how he has played this season.
His leadership and learning under head coach Nate McMillan has been there for the world to see. He has games where he does not take a shot in the first quarter and very few in the first half. He is getting his team involved so that he can take over in the second half if required.
He has been surrounded by veterans and as a result, the team has moved a long way forward this season, with Young still controlling the game as the team’s point guard. Now, Young needs to bring all of this into his first playoff series so that he can quieten his critics. He is also due his contract extension this summer but this will not impact the value of it.
Atlanta Hawks player with it all to prove No. 4) John Collins
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This season by Collins was always going to be one watched closely by the entire NBA, not just those with an association with the Hawks. When Collins and the Hawks failed to come to an agreement contractually the last offseason, it was clear that Collins was betting on himself to gain a max deal this upcoming offseason.
Collins has not harmed his value this season. In fact, with the Hawks winning the way they have, Collins may have in fact increased his value. Like Young, Collins has not put up solid numbers on a winning team until this season.
Any suitors for the services of Collins will be very interested to see how he handles the pressures of playoff basketball. The top teams will be looking at Collins to see if he can be the missing piece to take them to a championship.
Middle-of-the-road teams will be looking at Collins to see if he can turn them into a contender for the Finals. The bottom teams will be looking at Collins as the franchise piece to build around. However, the value of the contract that he is offered and the location may depend on how he plays in his first playoff action.