Nobody had a shot at stopping the New York Knicks once they caught fire in the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Not even the Atlanta Hawks - the team who took them to six games, presenting them their toughest challenge of the year.
What really minimized the Hawks' chances at a first-round series victory was their lack of depth in the frontcourt. It was rough before Jock Landale suffered a season-ending injury - especially at forward - but it practically confirmed the Knicks' advancement when he went down.
Thanks, Goga Bitadze...
Now that the conclusion of the 2025-26 season is in the past, Atlanta can look forward to the upcoming campaign - one they'll be competing in with their backup center healthy.
Landale signed a one-year deal to return, and get his revenge
The first game of the season for the Hawks will be in Orlando to take on the Magic. The NBA schedule-makers did their thing with this one. Bravo.
It's easy to forget, especially in the grand scheme of things (it's a wild league), but Atlanta was one of the best teams in the NBA following the All-Star break. They caught fire at the right time, and just so happened to run into the eventual-champions in round one.
A big factor in the Hawks' late-season turnaround was the fact that they finally had a backup center. Kristaps Porzingis was hardly ever healthy, making the addition of Landale in exchange for mere cash considerations one of the best value plays of the season.
In the 23 games Landale suited up in during his first real campaign with the Hawks, the team had a scorching 18-5 record.
Who knows what they could've done against the Knicks if he was healthy for their postseason meeting? Likely nothing more than pushing the series to seven games, but still, every win matters.
Atlanta now has even more center reinforcements
With Landale now on a one-year deal, the Hawks can manage him effectively.
They won't have to overwork him, especially now, as they selected two different big men with their final two draft picks.
Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar - Atlanta's rookie centers - aren't expected to have much of a role behind Onyeka Okongwu and Landale in year one, but could quickly be inserted if either were to get hurt.
It's an unpredictable league, and it's important to be ready in the event of an injury. Atlanta wasn't last season, and now they are.
This is going to be the most important season of Jock Landale's career, and Hawks fans should expect him to deliver.
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