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The Atlanta Hawks have been rolling as of late, currently winners of five games in a row after Wednesday evening's road victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. While Trae Young continues to shoot the ball poorly, he is leading the league in assists by a country mile, and several of his younger teammates have stepped up big time for the Hawks over the last couple of weeks.
Among the Hawks' wins this year are victories over the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), which has put the NBA world on notice of what is brewing in Atlanta.
Recently, former Hawks guard Lou Williams took to the Run It Back show, presented by FanDuel TV, to heap lofty praise on the squad.
“This is a team that's three years removed from the Eastern Conference Finals with basically the same core of guys,” said Williams. “Let's be clear. A lot of these guys were there when they made that run… you can see the joy in this team again. They're having fun; they're playing well together. They've got a lot of good pieces.”
Williams then spoke on where he sees the Hawks in comparison to some of their counterparts in the Eastern Conference.
“When you start having conversations about teams with camaraderie and chemistry, the Atlanta Hawks are one of them. They've figured something out,” said Williams. “They've found a brand of basketball that works for them down in the ATL.
“And I think they can beat any team when they're playing at that level, and when Trae Young is playing that way, and these guys are following his lead, by all means, I think they can beat any top seed there is, and they can put themselves in a position to be a top seed just as much.”
Is the Hawks' hot stretch legit?
There's currently more optimism around the Hawks than there's been in quite some time, if for no other reason than the fact that three of the team's core contributors (Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and Zaccharie Risacher) are all 22 years old or younger.
The Hawks have implemented a much more sensible roster to maximize Young's strengths and cover for his weaknesses, fielding a rotation of lengthy, athletic wings who can switch on defense and are fundamentally sound on offense.
While the Hawks likely don't have the pure talent necessary to compete for a higher seed in the East, there is finally a sense of a coherent vision from the front office for the first time in a while.
