Getting eliminated in the postseason is never fun, but it's not always the worst possible scenario. With every playoff run, or every early defeat, comes valuable lessons. For the Hawks, not only did their young players finally get introduced to late-April hoops, but their front office learned exactly what they need in order to take that crucial next step.
It's not just their elimination that will make them learn, however, as they now can take a deep look into what's made the final two squads so successful. The San Antonio Spurs, and especially the New York Knicks, have quickly built an impressive foundation for sustainable success in the modern NBA.
It's never been this simple to identify what it takes to achieve success
Take what worked for New York against Atlanta for example. The Hawks had surprisingly gotten out to a 2-1 series lead, resulting in Head Coach Mike Brown making a few key adjustments. The one that gave them the biggest immediate advantage was running their offense through their bigs.
The thing is, a team needs to have bigs capable of doing so in order to execute it properly. It's an advantage that not only pushed the Knicks past the underdog Hawks, but all the way to the 2026 NBA Finals.
The two centers in their rotation offer complete opposite skillsets, making them such a tough cover for even the league's most brilliant defensive units. Karl-Anthony Towns can initiate offense in the mid-range and out on the perimeter, as well as shoot the three-ball at an incredible rate.
Mitchell Robinson, on the other hand, excels in the post. He's one of the league's most elite offensive-rebounders and is just as impressive of a shot-blocker. Both of them stand at exactly seven-feet tall, which makes them unsurprisingly successful in a modern league that emphasizes positional length.
The Spurs' path to dominance came more organically
They built their squad mainly through the draft. San Antonio attacked their roster-building with a more traditional approach; the complete opposite of what New York did. New York doesn't have a single draftee of theirs in the starting lineup, while San Antonio is built mostly of them.
Of course, they've had a significant amount of help along the way. Every other franchise wishes they had a similar amount of lottery luck to the Spurs, but even then, it's easy to whiff on a draft selection. Their lead decision-makers nailed every pick of the last few years, and to no surprise, it's resulted in sustainable success.
It's clear what the Hawks now have to do. They've built their young roster through a perfect mix of draft selections, trade acquisitions and free agents, and now it's up to them to get bigger and continue to lean on their pace and physicality.
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