The Atlanta Hawks have shocked many fans this season with a resurgence fueled by breakout campaigns for Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and De’Andre Hunter. Trae Young has averaged a career-high 11.7 assists while the 2024-25 Hawks have ranked No. 3 in average assists as a team with 29.5 dimes per game.
ESPN sports anchor Elle Duncan, an Atlanta native and avid Hawks fan, recently appeared at the Allstate Party at the Playoff where she gave her thoughts on the Hawks’ season. Duncan spoke to Soaring Down South about Atlanta’s emergence as a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference.
“I think in Atlanta, hope springs eternal with all of the sports teams,” Duncan said. “Particularly with a Hawks team that it felt like had the pieces but weren’t quite melding together. I think this year is sort of the best version of this team that they’ve built. A mix of new talent, young talent.
“Trae Young has always been a great disher, but this year everybody’s making baskets too. I think they’re really the surprise of the NBA. Atlanta has sort of jokingly been known as the guaranteed play-in team. But not this year … I think they have bigger aspirations.”
The ‘surprise of the NBA’ has put together a 22-20 record to claim the No. 6 seed about halfway through the season. Atlanta also has a collective 6-2 record against the top three teams in the East. The Hawks won both of their matchups against a Cleveland Cavaliers team that has six losses through 42 games, took down the reigning-champ Celtics twice in Boston, and won two of three matchups with the No. 3-seeded New York Knicks.
Duncan’s analysis of the Hawks stretches beyond her ‘surprise’ label. She elaborated on the Ice Trae saga and how Atlanta’s franchise superstar has evolved as a leader.
“Like with anything else in life, you learn and you grow and you get better and better,” Duncan told Soaring Down South. “I think for Trae, this is home to him. I think that it’s been made clear that with all of the trade rumors and all of the chatter that he wants out, Atlanta has a little bit of PTSD with really great talent. They tend to want to flee.
“I think once everybody was able to move on from the fact that Trae actually really wanted to be here and that he was really welcomed and beloved for his talents … seemingly something has really switched, and it’s paying dividends. He’s really elevating the play of everybody else around him…”
NBA legend Charles Barkley joined in on the Atlanta Hawks hype
Duncan isn’t the only basketball analyst to give the Hawks their flowers. On a January 20 segment of Inside the NBA, Hall-of-Fame big man Charles Barkley shouted out Atlanta as a sleeper in the East.
“I will tell you the team that’s dangerous, believe it or not: the Atlanta Hawks,” Barkley said. “I think the Atlanta Hawks are a sleeper in the Eastern Conference.”
"The Atlanta Hawks.. They're a sleeper in the Eastern Conference" 👀
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 21, 2025
The guys debate on who the actual contenders are in the East 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/FSsjI3uYag
When asked by Shaquille O’Neal if the Hawks can win a championship, Barkley replied with “I don’t know.” O’Neal then shut him down with a resounding ‘No.’
Atlanta may not be ready to go all the way, but they could make a serious run if given the opportunity. The Hawks rank second leaguewide in pace and third in assist percentage. With the support of analysts like Duncan and Barkley, they should not surprise anyone if they continue their winning ways for the rest of the season.