Atlanta Hawks deservingly rank 3rd in NBA.com’s power rankings
The Atlanta Hawks proved they were one of the top teams in the East last season. A little over a week ago, NBA.com released their offseason power rankings for the 15 Eastern Conference teams.
The top five teams were as follows: 1. Brooklyn Nets, 2. Milwaukee Bucks, 3. Atlanta Hawks, 4. Philadelphia 76ers, 5. Miami Heat.
First things first, I believe that the ranking of the Atlanta Hawks is incredibly fair, and outside of a true Hawks believer, about 95% of people would not put the Hawks any higher than they are.
The Atlanta Hawks got the respect they deserved from NBA.com
More from Hawks News
- Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
- Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
- When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
- Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal
- Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic makes special dedication after FIBA win
To begin, the Brooklyn Nets are deservedly first. With Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Blake Griffin, and a solid supporting cast including sharpshooter Joe Harris, this team is an NBA Finals favorite.
They have an opportunity to be one of the best teams of all time.
Last year in the regular season, they had an offensive rating of 117.3, meaning they scored 117.3 points per 100 possessions, which was the best for a season in NBA history.
Despite woes on defense, a healthy Nets team is by far the best team in the East, and I have them and the Los Angeles Lakers as my picks to face off in the NBA Finals.
Hopefully, I am wrong, and Atlanta is playing for a championship, but any team is going to have an incredibly hard time beating this offensive juggernaut of a Nets team in a seven-game series.
Next, the 2021 NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks deservingly get the second spot on NBA.com’s Eastern Conference Power rankings. After an impressive comeback to win 4 straight games after falling in an 0-2 deficit to the Phoenix Suns, outside of the superteam in Brooklyn, the Bucks earned the nod of being atop of the East this offseason in these rankings.
There is no reason to believe that the Bucks will regress, and if anything, they could see improvement.
Coming in at number three are the Hawks. Now, it is completely valid to believe that if Young did not roll his foot on a referee’s foot in Game 3, then the Hawks could have advanced to, and even won, the NBA Finals. However, because that did unfortunately happen, and the Bucks went on to capture the Larry O’Brien Trophy, it makes sense that Milwaukee is ahead of Atlanta in the power rankings.
With that said, the Hawks could very well be better than any team in the East (other than Brooklyn), including the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Atlanta Hawks, who I consider to be one of last year’s most improved teams, are essentially running it back with the exact same squad this year featuring Trae Young and John Collins. They also added two amazing draft picks in the dazzling Jalen Johnson and impressive Sharife Cooper (pick 48…come on now!).
While the whole NBA will be improved, especially with a healthy and enhanced Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers, I genuinely not only think, but am confident in, this Hawks team’s ability to beat anyone in the East other than the only good team in New York.
Next. Atlanta Hawks: Where does John Collins rank amongst top-10 active power forwards. dark
Power rankings will soon turn into real rankings when the NBA tips off the 2021-2022 season on October 22.