Last season the Atlanta Hawks had a horrible run with injuries. It did not stop them from qualifying directly for the playoffs, taking the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. One of the reasons for this was the coaching change mid-way through the season. The other reason was the play of Solomon Hill who did it all for the Hawks.
Now that Hill is a free agent, the Hawks need to decide if they are going to pass or pursue the veteran this offseason. While this is not the most important decision for the Hawks for this period, that would be what to do with John Collins, it is still vital for the front office to make the right call on their depth pieces.
The reason the Hawks were able to endure all the injuries that they suffered this offseason was they had tremendous depth at pretty much every position. Players knew their role and therefore when they were tapped on the shoulder were able to help the Hawks keep winning.
The Atlanta Hawks need to try and replace the backup center role short-term
Thanks to Onyeka Okongwu having shoulder surgery which will keep him out of the Hawks lineup for the next six months, they need to replace his production in the short-term as well. He only averaged 12.0 minutes per game but he started to become a key piece in the second unit, on both ends of the floor.
It may be difficult for the Hawks to cover both roles with a free agency signing but with the NBA playing positionless basketball, anything is possible. Now let’s look at the potential signings.