The Atlanta Hawks are in action on Sunday, and there is plenty at stake.
For that reason, the Hawks are among the most noteworthy teams in the NBA heading toward the postseason. Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale offered his one-word assessment of every team, including the Hawks, calling them “intriguing.”
Aside from having a four-time All-Star in Trae Young, Favale noted the Hawks went contrarian to retool their offense.
“Favorable matchups have allowed the Atlanta Hawks to fatten up their win column during the month of March,” Favale wrote on March 29. “Yet, Atlanta has propped up a top-five offense since the start of February. The feat is made all the more impressive knowing Jalen Johnson (shoulder) has not played a single minute during this stretch, and that Trae Young is far from the most efficient, quickest or healthiest (Achilles) version of himself.
“Building an elite offense around Young isn’t necessarily an accomplishment. Except in this case, the Hawks are doing it without a true second in command—and with personnel who can be part of a better defense.”
That defensive potential has not shown often enough. That is partly due to Johnson’s absence, but also the youth of their other plus-defenders and the porousness of their teammates.
The Hawks ranked 19th in defensive rating after the first 29 days of March, going 8-5.
To be clear, they were 18th leading up to Johnson’s injury in January, so talk of a dramatic falloff may be overstating the situation. The bottom line is, even with a healthy Johnson – and Kobe Bufkin – the Hawks need more defensively.
Analyst awaits fall-off from ‘driving force’ behind Hawks’ offensive surge
Notably, Favale pointed to two of the Hawks’ most versatile defenders – Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu – as the “driving force” behind their offensive surge. Favale questioned how long the duo could sustain their current pace.
Okongwu is shooting 45.2% on 2.4 attempts per game in March, entering play against the Bucks on Sunday.
Daniels connected on 37.8% of his 2.8 deep looks per game in that span.
Favale calls their pace “untenable,” but the Hawks have endured slumps from typically reliable shooters in Caris LeVert and Terance Mann, neither of whom has proven to be a particularly strong or at least consistent defender.
The Hawks are far from a finished product, and they entered the season that way. And with several veterans likely out the door this offseason, they may not be done in 2025-26 either.