Mmbets: The Hawks Look To Capitalize On Another Offseason Of Building

The Atlanta Hawks were one of the better stories in the East last season. They won 46 games, finished sixth, and finally started to look like a team with a clear direction.

The case for Atlanta is difficult because I genuinely like what the Hawks did this offseason.

This is not a team I think is bad. I don’t even expect them to take a step backward.

The argument is simply that 44 wins in this version of the Eastern Conference might require more things to go right than people realize.

Atlanta Hawks: Over/Under 44.5

Last Season: 46-36

Over: -105
Under: -125
To Win NBA Championship: +4000
To Win Eastern Conference: +2200
To Win Southeast Division: +250

Additions: Lu Dort, Dorian Finney-Smith, Aaron Wiggins, Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor

Losses: Zaccharie Risacher, Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield

Atlanta has almost everything I want in a modern roster.

Flemings gives them a young backcourt piece with real upside. Johnson and Alexander-Walker already give them a strong foundation. Dort, Finney-Smith, Daniels, and Wiggins give them wing depth rivaling almost anyone in the league.

The problem is that I still do not fully trust what is happening at center.

Okongwu is talented, but at his size, asking him to anchor the position all season is a lot. Against bigger, more physical teams, Atlanta could run into real problems on the glass and around the rim. Ejiofor is intriguing, but he is still a rookie, and Veesaar’s injury removes another option they hoped to develop.

That weakness matters even more because the East is crowded.

Philadelphia loaded up. New York is still elite. Cleveland, Detroit, Orlando, Boston, and Miami all have legitimate reasons to believe they can win a lot of games. There will be very few easy nights at the top of the conference.

The Hawks can be really good and still finish around 42 or 43 wins simply because the margin for error is small.

If Okongwu holds up and the young bigs develop faster than expected, I think Atlanta clears this number. If the center spot becomes a real issue, the under becomes very live.

Prediction: Under 44.5 wins