The Atlanta Hawks missed the playoffs in 2023-24, marking their first time not being a part of the postseason since the 2019-20 campaign. The journey to a championship starts in the regular season after what was an eventful offseason.
The NBA has made one significant change to the In-Season Tournament. It will now be called the “Emirates NBA Cup,” though it remains otherwise unchanged.
The league also announced the full slate of NBA Cup games for 2024-25.
Atlanta Hawks land in Group C for 2024-25 Emirates NBA Cup
The Hawks are in “Group C” for the Emirates NBA Cup, joined by the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Washington Wizards.
Date | Opponent | Time (Eastern) |
|---|---|---|
November 12 | @ Celtics | 7:00 pm |
November 15 | Wizards | 7:30 pm |
November 22 | @ Bulls | 8:00 pm |
November 29 | Cavaliers | 2:30 pm (NBA TV) |
The Celtics are the reigning NBA champions. But this group features four teams that at least made the Play-In Tournament in 2023-24, including the Hawks. They were a combined 7-9 against the other four teams in the group.
Atlanta had the most trouble with Chicago and Cleveland, going 2-6 in their head-to-head tilts.
The Hawks managed to draw a split with the Cs and were 3-1 versus the Wizards, who selected one-time projected top pick Alexandre Sarr No. 2 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.
They were one of the 21 teams (10 in the Eastern Conference) to land national games on their Emirates NBA Cup schedule. The Bulls and Wizards are the only two teams in the Hawks’ group to not receive a national game during the Emirates NBA Cup.
Atlanta went 1-3 during the 2023-24 In-Season Tournament.
Then, they shared Group A status with the Cavs, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, and Philadelphia 76ers. The Hawks could only overcome the Pistons.
Perhaps the name change will help change the Hawks’ fortunes in 2024-25.
Hawks must sure up defense to get back to playoffs
The Hawks posted their worst defensive rating in recent memory in 2023-24, finishing the campaign with a 118.4 mark, per NBA.com. The Indiana Pacers were the only team to post a defensive rating of worse than 115 and still make the postseason.
Indiana also boasted the No. 1 offensive rating while the Hawks checked in at 12th offensively and 27th defensively.
Questions remain about the group’s ultimate ceiling.
However, this group arguably more closely resembles the group that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020-21. They have a bevy of options at 2 through 5, all seemingly suited to complement three-time All-Star Trae Young and rising star Jalen Johnson.
Young has his sights set on winning championships and helping Team USA secure gold in 2028 in LA. Leading the Hawks to a winning season would aid him in that effort.
The Emirates NBA Cup is a small but notable part of that equation.