Pretty much everyone is in agreement that the Atlanta Hawks are having among the best offseasons in the NBA. As it turns out, though, “pretty much everyone” does not include ESPN’s Tim Legler.
Speaking on a recent episode of the All NBA Podcast, Legler had the following to say about the Hawks upon finding out their win-total for next season checked in at 46.5 (segment on Atlanta begins at the 33:29 mark):
“Eh, I don’t know, man. I just feel almost like this is the one team, I’m looking around the league, and I feel like something’s happened with the overhyping of this team.”
Tim Legler expands on his Hawks concerns
Legler goes on to say that talking yourself into Atlanta as a legit threat requires buying into Trae Young, about whom he has mostly nice things to say. As his explanation goes on, his main issue seemingly boils down to a cast with limited upside:
“Jalen Johnson is a really intriguing young talent. Dyson Daniels is more of a defensive guy. I don’t know how much more ceiling there is for Dyson Daniels offensively. Zaccharie had a very good year as a No. 1 pick. [Kristaps] Porzingis, I don’t know how you put any stock into what you’re going to get out of Porzingis at this point. You add it all up to me, and I’m going to take the under [46.5 wins]. There’s been too much talk about all these things Atlanta did to become relevant in the East. I don’t know if it’s gonna happen.”
This is a pretty fair critique. Especially when it comes to Porzingis, who is hardly a billboard for availability. He has not played in 70 games—or the shortened-season equivalent—since he was a rookie. That was almost a decade ago.
Given that Johnson has not proven to be the most durable player since becoming a rotation mainstay, Atlanta’s frontcourt is one bad break away from Mouhamed Geuye—who’s genuinely intriguing—becoming too important.
Still, Legler is missing one important detail
Playing in the Eastern Conference will be a boon for these Hawks. It’s a luxury for any team with a franchise star, and a semblance of depth.
The Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards have already thrown in the towel for next season. The Boston Celtics are more concerned with banking tax savings than wins. Everybody knows the Chicago Bulls are headed nowhere, except for the Chicago Bulls themselves. Real talent populates the Charlotte Hornets’ rotation, but they are heavy on guards, and absent a starting-quality big man. The Indiana Pacers will be without Tyrese Haliburton for the entire year.
After that, there are a bunch of could-be, might-be good teams. The Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Toronto Raptors are, for the most, medium-ceiling, low-floor operations.
Atlanta has cozied into a tier with the Detroit Pistons. You expect squads like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, and New York Knicks to be better. Everyone else is either behind them, or on a level playing field.
This isn’t to say the Hawks’ stock is Teflon. Young’s future will cast a pall over the entire season if it’s not resolved. But Atlanta has surrounded him with a bunch of active and versatile defenders, and added juuuust enough secondary ball-handling (Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Luke Kennard) and shooting (Kennard, Porzingis) to make real waves in the East.
If the Hawks disappoint, it’s not because their offseason was overhyped. It’s because something else entirely—injuries, surprise trades, etc.—went terribly wrong.