One of the greatest running jokes surrounding the Hawks has been their seemingly magnetic draw to the NBA's play-in tournament over the last few years, alongside the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls.
In fact, every single postseason since 2022 (three years running) has featured all three teams in the tournament. While each roster has experienced significant turnover since the 2022 season, every campaign has yielded the same outcome for each squad.
This year appears to be no different for the Hawks. While their fellow play-in journeymen in Chicago may end up missing this year's party thanks to the baffling yet outright beautiful rise of the Hornets, Atlanta is positioned to yet again find themselves somewhere in the 7-10 range.
The bottom of the East has been solidified thanks to the trade deadline. With the Bucks refusing to trade Giannis, the overwhelming belief around the league predicts the superstar to sit the vast majority of their remaining campaign in an effort to achieve a high draft pick this summer.
Thanks to Onsi Saleh's beautiful ploy to pilfer the Pelicans of their pick last summer, this will end up benefiting both the Bucks and Hawks, as the Bucks will receive the worst of their own and the Pels' pick, while the Hawks get the better of the two. The lower these picks go, the more exciting this summer will be for both Atlanta and Milwaukee.
Outside of this excitement, the Wizards, Pacers, and Nets round out the bottom of the East barrel, each at least 10 games back from the Hawks at present, and this won't change any time soon. Finally, the Chicago Bulls sit a game and a half back from Atlanta, with one major difference in their offseason approach: they own their draft pick.
What should Atlanta's goal be for the remainder of the season without its own pick?
Thanks to the trade that sent Dejounte Murray to Atlanta, the Hawks don't own their pick this year. As a result, tanking makes absolutely zero sense for them, hence the retool with Jonathan Kuminga replacing the injury-riddled Kristaps Porzingis last week.
Therefore, Atlanta's goal for the rest of the season should be incredibly simple: give their young talents a shot to develop, or in some cases, a last chance to prove themselves.
Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Onyeka Okongwu, and Dyson Daniels have cemented themselves as long-term franchise pieces in Onsi Saleh's extended game of chess. The goal for this fearsome foursome should simply be to build on their growing chemistry and reap the rewards in a more meaningful way at the start of the 2026-2027 campaign.
Zaccharie Risacher and Jonathan Kuminga float on an entirely different boat. Completely unproven, this young duo should be given as much playing time as possible by Coach Snyder, in order to see what each of them is made of, and if they truly fit with the long-term goals of the franchise.
Coach Snyder has been hesitant to give Zacch extensive minutes. The bottom line is that this must change.
Best case scenario? Both Risacher and Kuminga close out the season strong and help the Hawks secure a play-in tournament victory, giving them experience against a powerful 1-seeded Detroit Pistons or 2-seeded New York Knicks in an inevitable first-round loss.
Worst case scenario? Risacher and Kuminga get shipped off this summer or next for players that fit with the franchise in a categorically more cohesive manner. Either scenario benefits the Hawks - we can only hope that Onsi Saleh and Quin Snyder see it the same way.