The Atlanta Hawks are in the midst of one of the most spectacular runs in recent franchise history. Since falling to 27-31 on Feb. 20, the Hawks have been nothing short of dominant, going 13-1 and ranking No. 1 in the NBA with an absurd net rating of +15.6.
Despite Atlanta's success, critics insist that fans shouldn't get too excited considering they've predominantly faced teams on pace to miss the playoffs. Those critics are missing the point.
Atlanta's recent stretch of 13 wins in 14 games has revealed a fundamental truth that critics seem to be overlooking. It's not that the Hawks are ready to win at a championship level, nor that they're putting the Eastern Conference's leading contenders on notice.
Instead, it's the simple fact that Atlanta is better than the average and below-average teams it's encountered—the starting point for every future contender.
The Oklahoma City Thunder didn't start out by blowing out great teams and looking impossible to defeat. They won 22 games when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander first cracked 20.0 points per game across a full season, 24 the next year, 40 a season after that, and then lost in the second round a year after that—a full season before finally winning a title.
That didn't make the Thunder unique, either. It made them what every team ultimately is: A work in progress learning to overcome each hurdle set in front of it. Atlanta is now in the same boat.
Hawks are building toward something, so why not celebrate progress?
The Hawks aren't a world-beating team preparing to make the leap to championship contender status in a just few weeks' time. Instead, they're a group that recently traded their longtime franchise player and is now embracing a future led by one of the youngest cores in the NBA.
Headlined by the likes of 24-year-old forward Jalen Johnson, 25-year-old center Onyeka Okongwu, and 23-year-old guard Dyson Daniels, the Hawks are simply looking to make progress in 2025-26.
Yes, there is an intriguing group of veterans tying the pieces together and seemingly establishing Atlanta as a team that's ready to win at a reasonably high level. That includes 34-year-old guard CJ McCollum, 30-year-old center Jock Landale, and 27-year-old wings Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Corey Kispert.
Between the quality veterans and promising up-and-comers, however, is a divide that the Hawks can't reasonably be expected to build a bridge over in just one season. But they can start the process.
Winning 13 of 14 is no easy feat—against any caliber of opponents
The Hawks committed to that vision when they traded for Jonathan Kuminga—a 23-year-old wing who, like many of his new teammates, is flush with untapped potential. They did the same when they drafted Zaccharie Risacher, 20, at No. 1 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, who they're now hoping can build upon a recent resurgence after a tough start to the season.
With a promising young core of 25-and-under players, a prime-age scorer in Alexander-Walker who's in the midst of a career year, and mere months separating them from trading Trae Young, the future is the focus.
Rather than allowing fans to enjoy the fact that the Hawks are finally escaping the depths of despair known as mediocrity, however, critics insist on downplaying their immediate potential. Even if this team fails to win a title in 2025-26, however, they've displayed genuinely compelling two-way upside at multiple stages of the season.
Compounded by the fact that Atlanta is likely to land a top-10 draft pick from the New Orleans Pelicans in a few months' time, it's perfectly fair for fans to embrace the promise of tomorrow amidst a great stretch today.