The Atlanta Hawks have somehow never made it to the NBA Finals, reaching the Conference Finals just twice: 2015 and 2021. Former Hawk and one-time All-Star Jeff Teague, however, thinks Trae Young and company will add a third ECF appearance to Atlanta's record this season.
On his Club 520 Podcast, Teague said, “The Hawks are going to make the playoffs, conference finals without a doubt... Have Porzingis spread, pause. He about to be lining up half-court shooting threes. Trae Young going to have all this room to operate… Porzingis? Bro, he in contract year, you know how this go. He ‘bout to play 70 games.”
Jeff Teague:
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 21, 2025
“The Hawks are going to make the playoffs, conference finals without a doubt... Have Porzingis spread, pause. He about to be lining up half-court shooting threes. Trae Young going to have all this room to operate… Porzingis? Bro, he in contract year, you know how… pic.twitter.com/NZ8YVegJcj
Teague might be getting ahead of himself with the 70-game season prediction, as Porzingis has not played over 70 games since his rookie season. Still, Teague believes this team is one of the best in franchise history.
Teague was a member of the 2014-15 Hawks squad that won the hearts of NBA fans in a special season. At the time, there was no clearly dominant team in the East. LeBron James had just moved back to Cleveland, where the squad had a slower-than-anticipated start to James's homecoming.
Teague and the Hawks took advantage of this power vacuum, earning the top record in the East and an ECF appearance despite not having a single All-NBA player on the roster.
Sound familiar?
The Hawks have an excellent opportunity to make history
The 2015 and 2025-26 Hawks have striking similarities. Both teams exist in an Eastern Conference without a clear favorite. Both teams are loaded with talent, but lack in star power relative to the usual conference finalists. Both teams are led by underrated head coaches whose NBA careers began in the fabled Gregg Popovich developmental program.
Unlike the 2015 squad, however, this year's team has a trick up its sleeve - Trae Young finally has a team capable of supporting his playoff ambitions.
The impact of this will improve both Young and his teammates' performance. Young is one of the best passers of this decade, dropping a league-high 11.2 dimes a night last season, despite having an extremely limited offensive supporting cast after the trade deadline.
Perhaps most critically, however, Young's new teammates will allow him to elevate his game. While the NBA no longer is a star's league, with teams like the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers proving that depth and fit are more valuable than sheer star power, both of these teams still had a player who could be a star when the team needed them.
If this Hawks squad is ever going to make noise in the playoffs, this year must be the turning point. The stars have aligned for Atlanta to make a deep run. Will Young and company capitalize on their opportunity?