The Atlanta Hawks are primed for a big run in the changing Eastern Conference
Just a few weeks ago the Atlanta Hawks were struggling to get a win and looking to make trades to improve their chances of making the playoffs again this season. Well, they made one trade, sending Cam Reddish and the injured Solomon Hill to the New York Knicks. In return, they received Kevin Knox and the team has a 9-3 record in the games that have followed the trade.
It is not a case of Reddish leaving and the team is automatically better. Knox has bought into his role with the team which helps, but also sometimes the basketball deities are smiling down on a team and the Hawks benefitted from the Caris LeVert trade. The Pacers traded LeVert in one deal and then almost gutted their team just prior to the Hawks matchup.
However, there are other factors that are going to help the Hawks go on a run in the Eastern Conference in a similar manner to last season. They also made a trade just prior to the 2020-21 trade deadline where they sent Rajon Rondo to the LA Clippers and received Lou Williams in return which had a similar impact on the team.
The Atlanta Hawks are primed to go on another Eastern Conference run.
The Hawks are primed to go for another run. They are finally healthy again after a horrible time with injury, right from the start of the preseason. They were unable to form the chemistry that they wanted prior to the season and their play suffered. Then they fell from injury crisis into Covid-19 crisis and their season was going backward fast.
However, when they got De’Andre Hunter back from surgery and Onyeka Okongwu started playing for the first time this season after offseason surgery, the Hawks started to turn things around. As stated earlier, the Pacers trades helped them get a reasonably easy victory last time out.
However, there are a number of other factors at play. The Brooklyn Nets have gone from the top of the conference down to the play-in seedings thanks to the nine-game losing streak that they are currently on. Rumors are circling about James Harden also wanting out which would make matters worse for them.
Next. Cam Reddish is showing the grass is not always greener. dark
On top of that, the Charlotte Hornets received news that one of their stars Gordon Hayward is out indefinitely due to another injury. These are the next two teams above the Hawks in the standings and only four games separate these three teams. If the Hawks can go on a run similar to last season after the All-Star break then the Atlanta Hawks are a chance of making the playoff seeds.