At 22-42, the Atlanta Hawks are clearly in the midst of a rebuild. However, they’ve opened some eyes with their recent play and one player in particular has captured national attention in the process.

Over their last five games, Atlanta has averaged 129.1 points and have come away with a win three times. They famously lost a four-overtime battle to the Chicago Bulls in that span, but rookie Trae Young’s play has been jaw-dropping. In fact, he has been one of the most productive offensive players in the entire NBA over his last 17 games.

Atlanta’s young core, future cap space and presumed draft picks might contribute to a lightning-fast rebuild and there’s a lot for Hawks fans to be excited about.

Young Core

It appears as though a number of talented young players will be back in Atlanta for the start of next season, which will only be a positive since head coach Lloyd Pierce immediately installed a new-era offensive system. The Hawks have played at the second-fastest pace in the NBA (104.37) this season.

Trae Young, Kevin Huerter, Taurean Prince, John Collins, Omari Spellman and Miles Plumlee are all under guaranteed contracts for next year while DeAndre Bembry and Jaylen Adams have team options and Kent Bazemore is expected to pick up his hefty player option.

This season, Young is averaging 18.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 7.8 assists in 30.8 minutes while Collins is enjoying a breakout sophomore campaign, averaging 19.5 points and 9.5 boards in 30.0 minutes. However, he has battled some nagging injuries, as has Prince, who has put up 13.3 points and 3.7 rebounds over 28.0 minutes when healthy.

With the exception of Plumlee, who will most likely be a buyout or trade candidate, all of those players fit well within Pierce’s system and have dynamic aspects to their individual styles of play.  As time goes on and with a full summer ahead of them, there’s reason to assume that they will all be able to improve in some way.

2019 NBA Draft

In case you missed it, all eyes will be on the Duke triumvirate of Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish leading up to the 2019 NBA Draft. Others like mid-major phenom Ja Morant, Gonzaga’s breakout veteran Rui Hachimura and a slew of international prospects could also get in the mix and make up one of the strongest recent top-heavy draft classes.

The Hawks will shockingly have up to eight selections in the draft. They own their own first-rounder, which will presumably turn out to be pretty high considering their record. Additionally, they own the rights to the Dallas Mavericks’ first-round selection if it lands outside of the top five and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first-rounder if it lands outside of the top 10 (which is virtually impossible at this point but still worth mentioning).

To add, they own four second-round picks as well as a protected top-55 pick from the Washington Wizards. Therefore, they will most likely have the ability to move up if they need to due to the sheer amount of draft capital they have. Pairing one or two top-10 caliber players with their current young core would establish a rock-solid core with a plethora of potential.

Free Agent Frenzy

In addition to potentially owning eight draft picks this summer, the Hawks are projected to have the fifth-most cap space (over $52 million). Therefore, they’ll be able to sign a max-contract player and/or a few mid-range free agents.

While superstar free agents like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and company probably wouldn’t consider playing in Atlanta due to the allure of big markets elsewhere, perhaps someone like DeMarcus Cousins or Nikola Vucevic would join the Hawks on a max deal. Cousins might not garner max-deal interest based on his recent Achilles injury and Vucevic is a quiet, under-the-radar All-Star who might go overlooked despite his elite talent.

A couple physical, athletic power forwards might also be available as well. If he opts out of the second year of his current deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, Julius Randle could be in search of a long-term deal and is currently having the best campaign of his career. Kenneth Faried will also be available and he’s enjoying a resurgence with the Houston Rockets at the moment. Thaddeus Young could be another potential target.

Some wing options could include Bojan Bogdanovic, Terrence Ross, Jeremy Lamb and Jeff Green. TJ McConnell could be an ideal backup point guard in a high-energy role.

Regardless, there’s a possibility of a quick rebuild. Consider this conservative example: if the Hawks draft Barrett and sign Faried, Lamb and McConnell, their starting five would most likely consist of Young, Barrett, Lamb, Faried and Collins while Huerter, McConnell, Prince, Bembry, and Spellman would also have roles off the bench in Pierce’s rotation. With that construction and considering the presumed continued development of Young, Collins and company, there’s no reason not to assume that Atlanta could be a playoff team as early as next season.

If they’re able to attract a max-contract player and/or land the top pick in the draft, they will have the potential to enjoy an immediate turnaround.