Atlanta’s Cinderella season came to an end after last Saturday’s 118-107 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, losing the series 4-2. The Hawks were a team projected to make the playoffs at the beginning of the season but exceeded all expectations by coming within two games of an NBA Finals berth.
“The Hawks, I mean what a year for them to come together like they did the last couple months of the season and have this run,” said former Atlanta Hawk Kyle Korver. “The city felt alive, it was fun to cheer for them.”
In retrospect, this season was a rollercoaster for the Hawks. Atlanta was the fourth-most injured team in the NBA with 293 games missed by injured players and drew criticism for the firing of former head coach Lloyd Pierce midway through the season.
Despite it all, the Hawks managed to grab the attention of NBA fans and the national media on the biggest stage in basketball. The team didn’t have a single All-Star, All-NBA player, or All-Defensive player, but certainly have a bright future.
1. The Emergence of Trae Young
After the 2019-2020 NBA season, the Hawks missed out on the NBA bubble being the No. 14 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 20-47 record. For Atlanta, the only positive from that season was the success of Trae Young. He made his first All-Star team averaging 29.6 points and 9.3 assists but was viewed as a player that doesn’t contribute to team success and cares more about individual statistics.
Coming into the season, Young’s goal wasn’t to average 30 points per game on another below .500 Hawks team, it was to simply win games. He successfully led the Hawks to the No. 5 seed, a 42-31 record, and their first playoff appearance since the franchise’s 60-win season in 2015.
“I hear people talk about my growth and people talk about me going from a guy who only cares about stats to now it’s more about winning,” Young told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Those are compliments, but it’s a frustrating one, just because that’s not who I was to begin with.”
In his first postseason run, he quickly emerged as a borderline superstar averaging 28.8 points, 9.5 assists, and 2.8 rebounds through 16 games. Not only did Young break multiple records during the run, but he became the NBA’s newest villain in both New York and Philadelphia. His performances had fans chanting “f-ck Trae Young” and led up to an instance where a fan visibly spit on Young as he inbounded the ball during Game 2 against the Knicks in the first round.
At just 22-years-old, Young single-handedly won games for the Hawks as he continued to draw fouls and hit 30-foot shots at ease. Atlanta’s run took a downward spiral once Young suffered a bone bruise in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which lead to their elimination in Game 6.
Nonetheless, the Hawks may have a future superstar on their hands that could lead the franchise to its first championship in the city of Atlanta.
2. Nate McMillan’s Impact as a Coach
Once the season ended, Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk worked hard in keeping Nate McMillan as Atlanta’s head coach for the future. On Monday, the Hawks removed the interim label from his title as they reached an agreement on a four-year deal for him to remain in Atlanta.
“Unless the Orlando Magic came in and gave him $100 million a year or something crazy, Nate McMillan’s going to be our coach,” said Hawks forward Solomon Hill when asked about McMillan’s future.
When the Hawks fired Lloyd Pierce at the beginning of March, the team was 14-20 and were the No. 11 seed in the Eastern Conference standings. After the firing, Atlanta went on an eight-game win streak under McMillan putting the team in immediate playoff contention.
Before the coaching change, Atlanta continuously failed to close out games in the fourth quarter. Almost half of the Hawks’ games were lost after leading or being tied through the first three quarters. After March 1, McMillan quickly turned the Hawks into one of the best fourth-quarter teams, as they won 20 of 22 games when entering the quarter with the lead. Atlanta went 27-11 over the final 38 games of the season, the same record as the Philadelphia 76ers, and the second-best record over that stretch.
McMillan was able to get the most out of his players at the right time and put the Hawks in a position to succeed that not many people saw coming. He should be able to take the Hawks even further with a healthy roster and the invaluable experience this young team received.
3. Young Pieces on the Rise
It’s been just four years since the Hawks were in the beginning stages of their rebuild, but they’ve nailed every draft pick since then. Looking past Trae Young, contributions from Kevin Huerter, John Collins, and Onyeka Okongwu all played pivotal roles in Atlanta’s success.
Most notably, without Huerter’s 27-point performance in Game 7 of their semifinal series against the Sixers, the Hawks may have just been eliminated from the playoffs.
Unfortunately, Atlanta’s two best perimeter defenders weren’t on the floor consistently during the regular season or playoffs due to lingering injuries throughout the year. De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish missed 95 regular-season games combined but saw playing time in separate playoff series during Atlanta’s postseason run. They each made immediate impacts on the defensive side of the ball and hit important shots down the stretch of playoff games. When healthy, the Hawks have a young forward tandem that’ll wreak havoc on opposing teams.
Atlanta’s Time is Coming
This year the Hawks laid the foundation for a winning culture in Atlanta as fans should expect nothing less. The team will be a consistent playoff contender for years to come with a healthy roster.
Atlanta may not have a big three, or even a big two, but a group of players that buy into their roles should translate to winning with Trae Young at the helm.
For more NBA coverage, click here.
