After seven years of suboptimal guard rotations, the Atlanta Hawks finally have a young core that complements Trae Young perfectly.
It was not smooth sailing to this point. The Hawks have long dreamed of a theoretical player as the ideal backcourt partner to Young: a lengthy two-way combo guard who can handle point responsibilities for ten minutes a night. Unfortunately, these players don’t grow on trees – in fact, this is the one guard archetype every team is looking for.
Atlanta’s failure in this regard certainly wasn’t due to a lack of trying. The Hawks traded for Dejounte Murray and drafted Kobe Bufkin and AJ Griffin in three major swings at filling this role. Three years later, it is clear that none of these players was the ideal backcourt partner Atlanta dreamed of. Murray's previous impact as a Spur never translated to a Hawks uniform, while Bufkin and Griffin are out of the league.
The front office gave Hawks fans a pair of guards for Christmas
Atlanta’s luck turned when they decided to move on from Murray. The return package included Dyson Daniels, who immediately won the Most Improved Player award after a breakout season for the Hawks. Daniels has already been more impactful than Murray was during his stint in Atlanta, and he’s been a better fit alongside Young. While Daniels isn’t quite capable of running the point full-time, he’s a dangerous creator when working with another playmaking guard.
Enter Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The Canadian wing proved himself as a playoff-caliber 3&D wing in Minnesota, although he had never proven himself as a reliable creator. Fans feared the role would again require more than their new guard could handle.
Just two months into the season, however, Alexander-Walker confidently proved he is indeed a valuable offensive weapon. He stepped into the starting point guard role while Young was sidelined with a right knee sprain, where he thrived. NAW is averaging a career-high 20.3 points on solid efficiency and has looked even better in a reduced role alongside Young.
The Hawks finally have their guard core of the future with Young, Daniels, and Alexander-Walker – and this was the hard part of building a dynasty in Atlanta. Young’s skill set requires a specific mold of guards to support him, but the team found the right pieces.
Of course, it’s not all smiles in Atlanta. The team sorely lacks size, and the below .500 record is not what Hawks fans expected to see on Christmas Day. But the path forward is clear.
The Hawks need to add two players to complete their Infinity Gauntlet: a starting-caliber center and a bench power forward. With these two pieces (and a healthy non-Porzingis rotation), Atlanta has the firepower to match the titans of the East.