They've dictated the fate of the NBA year after year. Take the 2019 Warriors - a superteam with no clear challenger bold enough to rip their crown away. Their lofty three-peat dreams were crushed when three of their starters went down for the season at critical moments.
While it's a far cry to measure this year's Hawks anywhere near the powerhouse that was the 2019 Warriors, it's at least safe to say that each squad possesses an exorbitant amount of talent when fully healthy - a level of talent that could not-so-ridiculously take the Hawks to the 2026 NBA Finals.
We knew going into the season that two key players - Kristaps Porzingis and Jalen Johnson - have long battled injury bugs that have sidelined each talent for extensive periods of time. While it was clearly understood that the pair wouldn't play 82 games, Hawks fans are now faced with a grim reality of the tandem already missing time a mere week into a bright new year.
To make matters worse, young rising star Zaccharie Risacher was also ruled out with an ankle sprain against OKC, leaving the Hawks completely barren of their three starting frontcourt members for the night.
In spite of this gloomy cloud of injury despair that the Hawks find themselves in, the front office was able to provide a promising glimmer of hope in preparation of this unfortunate possibility.
The good news? Atlanta's frontcourt is shockingly deep.
As soon as Onsi Saleh hung up the phone after confirmation of the trade for Kristaps Porzingis was made clear, he picked it right back up to shore up the depth of the Hawks' frontcourt.
Porzingis has battled injuries throughout his decade-long career, and Saleh had the foresight to roster competent players like Mouhamed Gueye, N'Faly Dante, and Asa Newell to bolster the Lithuanian sensation during his inevitable moments of absence.
All three of Gueye, Dante, and Newell have already proved their worth to the organization through a hard-fought victory against the Orlando Magic early this season, and a long, grind-it-out battle against the Oklahoma City Thunder the very next evening.
Hawks fans should be grinning ear to ear with the state of the franchise - Onsi Saleh has made positive move after positive move, all the while being an engaged and actively involved GM with his key players - a trait that's not shared universally in the league.
Even with terrible injury luck that may well be the case throughout the year for Atlanta, Saleh has ensured Trae is still flanked by ample talent at every position. Ultimately, an NBA title often requires a bit of good injury luck - let's hope the pendulum swings back in the Hawks' favor sooner rather than later.