RSS Hawks Team Notes

[Atlanta Hawks]

Checking in on Smeskoball

As the regular season winds down, it is worth taking the time to see how first-year head coach Karl Smesko has implemented his offensive philosophy with the Atlanta Dream. Smesko spent over two decades at Florida Gulf Coast University overseeing a team that emphasized three-point shooting and fast pace. How have Atlanta’s tendencies shifted under Smesko and with the addition of frontcourt stars Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones?

Prioritizing three-point shooting​

Under former head coach Tanisha Wright in 2024, Atlanta averaged just 19 three-point shots per game which put them ninth out of twelve teams. In 2025 under Smesko, Atlanta has averaged 28 three-point shots per game, second-most in the WNBA. This development is epitomized by Naz Hillmon’s transformation from shooting just six three-pointers over the course of her first three WNBA seasons to shooting over 115 three-pointers with thirteen games remaining in the season.

In addition to increasing their three-point shooting volume, Atlanta has the fifth-best three-point percentage in the league at 33.8% which is an improvement on the league’s second-lowest percentage in the 2024 season at 30.8%. Te-Hina Paopao has been an excellent addition to the team, shooting 44% from long range, which is the second-best mark in the league for players with at least 75 three-point attempts.

Falling behind in pace​

While Smesko has succeeded in increasing Atlanta’s three-point shooting, the team has struggled to maintain the fast pace that his college teams demonstrated. Atlanta ranks second-to-last in pace, ahead of only the expansion Golden State Valkyries. They finished the 2024 season in the same spot, just beating out the Connecticut Sun.

Part of Atlanta’s difficulty in playing fast could be a result of Smesko using a remarkably limited player pool throughout the season. Atlanta is the only WNBA team to use fewer than thirteen players this season with just ten players averaging at least double-digit minutes. Three of the Dream’s opening-day starters have missed at least five games (Jordin Canada, Brittney Griner, and Rhyne Howard) which has resulted in a heavy usage rate for All-Star Allisha Gray, who has played in all 31 games for the Dream with a league-leading 1,094 minutes played.

Improving shot efficiency​

In addition to three-point shooting and pace, Coach Smesko consistently talks in his pressers about the value of taking efficient shots. Florida Gulf Coast University was notorious for only taking three-pointers and points in the paint. Atlanta has the second-lowest percentage of points coming from mid-range two-pointers, at 5.2%. Only the Los Angeles Sparks have a lower percentage of points from mid-range shots; the Sparks are coached by another first-year head coach, Lynne Roberts, who also jumped from the college ranks at Utah to the WNBA this offseason.

Atlanta’s shot efficiency can also be assessed by looking at their overall field-goal percentage. While Atlanta’s 44% field-goal percentage has them sitting just outside the top five in league ranks, it is an improvement on their league-worst field-goal percentage in 2024 of 40.8% which was a full percentage point worse than the next-lowest team.

Overall state of the squad​

While not all of Smesko’s tendencies have fully translated to the WNBA, fans should be pleased with the Dream’s current place in the league standings: Atlanta entered Wednesday night’s game against Seattle in a tie with the reigning champion New York Liberty for second place in the WNBA, with a 20-11 record. Smesko’s players speak fondly of him and seem to have formed strong relationships with the coach, as seen in the way Smesko and Rhyne Howard describe their relationship:


Atlanta snuck into the playoffs as the league’s eight-seed in 2024 with a 15-25 record — they have already eclipsed that win total with more than ten games remaining in their schedule. Multiple sportsbooks had Atlanta listed with an over/under win total of 21.5 for the season. They should easily surpass that mark. Atlanta also has the easiest strength of schedule remaining in the entire WNBA, including three matchups in their final five games against the last-place Connecticut Sun.

Finishing in the top four places will guarantee the Dream home-court advantage in their first playoff series and a chance to win their first multi-game playoff series since 2013.

All statistics are from www.wnba.com unless otherwise noted.

How happy are you with Karl Smesko’s performance in his first year coaching the Atlanta Dream? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/wnba-content/64692/checking-in-on-smeskoball

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

82-game schedule at long last released

We already knew before this afternoon the dates of the NBA Cup games — such as the De’Andre Hunter homecoming on November 28 — and the opponent for the MLK Day game — which is back in State Farm Arena after a year’s absence.

Now, the entire 82-game schedule has been released, and the Atlanta Hawks will try to take advantage of national TV opportunities to showcase their up and coming team.

The team will open the season at home against the Toronto Raptors on October 22. The Hawks finish their season against the Miami Heat on April 12. Overall, they’ll have 13 nationally televised games as currently scheduled when you include streaming services like Peacock and Prime per the release.

The full schedule is below:

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Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/latest-news/64713/82-game-schedule-at-long-last-released

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Report: Hawks to add big man N’Faly Dante

The Atlanta Hawks added to their rebuilt big man core today in reportedly signing N’Faly Dante, who spent last season with the Houston Rockets after being undrafted in 2024.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype was the first to report the news:

View Link

N’Faly Dante is a 6’11”, 230-pound Malian international big man who was a former five-star high school recruit before attending Oregon. He showed growth throughout his five-year college career there, averaging 17.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.7 steals per game in his super senior season.

Dante only saw action in four NBA games after going undrafted last season, but he was a productive G League player for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers as noted above. He’s largely a just rim runner and short range putback big man on offense, but his size, strength, and agility allow him to affect the game on the glass and on defense.

In signing Dante in restricted free agency to a two-year deal, the Hawks will retain restricted free agency rights to him in the summer of 2027 as he will have yet to accrue four years of NBA service by then.

In theory the Rockets could opt to match the contract within 48 hours and keep him in Houston. But as Keith Smith of Spotrac notes, they currently don’t have enough space under their first apron hard cap to do so — nor do I foresee them making an additional move to pave the way for someone who was just a two-way player last season.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/late...e-atlanta-latest-news-free-agency-signing-nba

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

2025-26 Atlanta Hawks schedule deep dive

It is that glorious time of the year again! I proclaim that as if the Atlanta Hawks’ season is tipping off tomorrow (it is not, sadly), but Thursday night marked one significant step towards 2025-26 season with the announcement of the Atlanta Hawks’ schedule of games in what everyone involved hopes is a long and successful season.

As has become a yearly tradition here at Peachtree Hoops, we’ll take a month-by-month deep dive into the Hawks’ schedule, examining fixtures of note, strength of projected schedule per month, how road/home-heavy any particular month is, and so on.

Let’s begin with the shortened month of October to begin the season:

Total games: 6

Home games: 2

Road games: 4

Back-to-backs: 1

Longest road trip: 3 games

Longest homestand: 1 games

Average projected opponent win total (based on Bet MGM win totals): 40 wins

The Hawks receive a generous opener to the NBA season: a home title against the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors haven’t exactly advanced themselves massively over the summer, and the Hawks would immediately be considered favorites to begin the season and have a great opportunity to begin the season at home with victory.

A difficult back-to-back awaits the Hawks, the first being a road game against the Orlando Magic (projected to win a whopping 51 games), and against the defending champion OKC Thunder at home. The Hawks had to wait until late February before their first game against the Magic last season — now they face their Southeast Division rival in game number two and an important game, too.

The Eastern Conference’s landscape has changed dramatically, not just through the playoffs but the summer too. The Celtics and Pacers suffered devastating injuries their star players, Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton respectively, and both teams are expected to take steps back this season. The Sixers’ situation remains precarious as always, but the outlook doesn’t seem positive there. The Cavaliers and Knicks all but certainly will be expected to lead the East, but behind them the teams who arguably pose threats to homecourt advantage seedings are likely to be (in addition to the Pistons) the Magic and the Hawks, if both are healthy of course. So, while this is an early game in the season it is an important one for two teams who could potentially measure against each other for playoff seeding.

After the Orlando game, the Hawks are faced with a daunting second game of a back-to-back against the Thunder. Irrespective of the result the previous night, State Farm Arena will be rocking to face the Thunder, and these two clubs have produced some great games over recent seasons. Beyond that, the Hawks will end the month on three-game road trip (part of a four-game trip overall), but all of the October games come against teams the Hawks have a realistic shot of beating with the final game against Indiana the first game of the NBA Cup.

On to November:

Total games: 15

Home games: 6

Road games: 9

Back-to-backs: 3

Longest road trip: 4 games

Longest homestand: 3 games (twice)

Average projected opponent win total (based on Bet MGM win totals): 36.5 wins

As always, the NBA reality of the 82-game marathon hits its first laps in November as the games come thick and fast. The Hawks will spend a lot of November on the road, including finishing their four-game trip to end October in Cleveland and a four-game, predominantly purple, Western Conference road trip, sandwiched by a three-game homestand — and first NBA Cup game at home, in addition to the ever-popular Lakers (an opportunity for even more purple in November). Unlike November Western Conference runs of the past for the Hawks, other than the Clippers (and who even know what injuries they’ll manage throughout the year), the Hawks should be favored in most of these affairs against Sacramento, Utah, and Phoenix.

Outside of a road trip against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in San Antonio, the Hawks’ major contest for the rest of the month comes in an NBA Cup game at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Interestingly, the Hawks hosted the Cavaliers for an NBA Cup game on November 29th in 2024 — in 2025 it’ll be on the 28th. It also represents De’Andre Hunter’s first appearance back at State Farm Arena playing against the side that drafted him back in 2019 — no doubt there’ll be tributes on the night.

Sandwiched in the middle of the month will be a very interesting affair at home against the Detroit Pistons, who will be looking to build upon a great season last year, and are ballparked to win a similar number of games as the Hawks (the Pistons are projected to win 45 games compared to the Hawks’ 47 games).

To December, and it is worth noting that the 12-day gap between Washington and Charlotte will be filled with two games (dates to be confirmed) which will be announced at a later date by the NBA following the progression of the NBA Cup:

Total games: 14 (including the two games to be added)

Home games: 8 (to be confirmed)

Road games: 4 (to be confirmed)

Back-to-backs: 3

Longest road trip: 1 game

Longest homestand: 5 games

Average projected opponent win total (based on Bet MGM win totals): 42 wins (to be confirmed upon schedule additions)

The Hawks begin to make up for their, to this point, road-heavy schedule. Following a road game against the Hornets, the Hawks begin their longest homestand of the season of five games, two of which take place against the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls, like the Hawks, have been stuck in what seems like a perpetual play-in cycle, of course ending the Hawks’ season in the Play-In Tournament in 2024. Those two games would be a perfect opportunity to showcase how much the Hawks may potentially have elevated above the Bulls, who are projected to win 39 games this season. Such a record would likely result in qualification for the Play-In Tournament once again.

Vengeance of a different sort can also be claimed by the Hawks as they take on the Miami Heat for the first of four meetings, the first coming during the five-game homestand. However, this game is the first of a back-to-back in what could be a particularly brutal end to 2025. A home tilt against the Knicks is sure to be ablaze as one of the projected Eastern Conference elite enters Atlanta. The Hawks make a quick trip to Oklahoma City before welcoming the Minnesota Timberwolves, the first occasion Nickeil Alexander-Walker takes on his old squad, on December 31st — certainly not the easiest end to the year but representing a great test and measure of how the Hawks may have progressed since exiting in the play-in against the Heat.

…to 2026!

Total games: 16

Home games: 6

Road games: 10

Back-to-backs: 2

Longest road trip: 4 games

Longest homestand: 2 games (twice)

Average projected opponent win total (based on Bet MGM win totals): 41.5 wins

Not the easiest of beginnings to 2026; a stretch of seven road games in the first eight games, including a double-header in Toronto, and a four game Western Conference road-trip, including Denver, Golden State, and Los Angeles. Upon their return to State Farm Arena, the Celtics will host the Celtics in what will be Kristaps Porzingis’ first appearance against his old side — he will also be received by his former side towards the end of the month at TD Garden.

The Hawks will host on the 19th of January for MLK Day, meaning that the Hawks are hosting on the holiday as they should be. As for the Bucks themselves, the Hawks will have a vested interest in their season due to draft considerations following the trade back on draft night involving the Bucks and the Pelicans. However, with Giannis Antetokounmpo at the helm the Bucks always have a fighting chance.

The Hawks face a congested, difficult finish to the month, including a road game in Boston, followed by a matchup against the highly rated Rockets the following night at home. A road game against Indiana, the second fixture against the Pacers in six days, rounds out the month.

On to February:

Total games: 10

Home games: 6

Road games: 4

Back-to-backs: 1

Longest road trip: 2 games

Longest homestand: 4 games

Average projected opponent win total (based on Bet MGM win totals): 30 wins

The Hawks have been handed a relaxed schedule to both get to the All-Star break and to resume action after the break. Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s return to Minnesota highlights the most difficult game of the entire month as well as up to the break. Easily winnable games against Utah, and two games against the Hornets give the Hawks an opportunity to enter the break on winning notes.

Post break, outside of a road game in Philadelphia, the Hawks have a four game homestand to finish February (part of a five-game trip overall), including two home tilts against the Washington Wizards. Quite a Southeast-heavy month of February, and it’s certainly a great opportunity to rack up victories.

To March!

Total games: 15

Home games: 10

Road games: 5

Back-to-backs: 1

Longest road trip: 2 games (twice)

Longest homestand: 5 games

Average projected opponent win total (based on Bet MGM win totals): 41 wins

The Hawks enjoy a March that will see them at home more often than not, and at this business end of the season where seeding will undoubtedly be fought hard for it’ll be important for the Hawks to take care of business. Games against Eastern Conference opponents such as Orlando, Milwaukee, Boston, and Philadelphia will be especially important.

Home fixtures against Western Conference opponents such as Dallas and Golden State should draw fans, while tough road prospects in Houston and Detroit will bring intrigue — particularly Detroit. Overall, it’s a great opportunity for the Hawks to move up/consolidate seeding with such a home-happy schedule, you can’t ask for a lot more at this time of the year.

On to the final month:

Total games: 6

Home games: 2

Road games: 4

Back-to-backs: 0

Longest road trip: 2 games (twice)

Longest homestand: 1 game (twice)

Average projected opponent win total (based on Bet MGM win totals): 46 wins

The Hawks face tough road games in the month of April to finish the season: a road game in Orlando — which may be pivotal — and a road tie in Cleveland followed by another game against the Cavaliers. If the Cavs’ season is anything like last season, the Hawks can hope, perhaps, that the Cavs will be resting players at this time, but if not, those are two tough games so close to the finish line. Perhaps poetically, the regular season ends in Miami. Overall, for the season, quite road-heavy to begin, but if the Hawks can get to February in decent shape they are in prime position for really a positive February and March with the light schedule and home games.

The Atlanta Hawks now know their road ahead for the 2025-26 season, and the plans can now be hatched. As for whether the road ahead leads to greatness, only time will tell…

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/6474...-deep-dive-analysis-nba-latest-news-breakdown

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Unpacking the Atlanta Dream’s fourth quarter woes

The Atlanta Dream fell to the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday night despite leading by ten points entering the fourth quarter. This marked the fourth time in 2025 that Atlanta has lost a double-digit lead. What is happening to the Dream in the fourth quarter of games?

Atlanta has held a lead against every team in the league​

The Atlanta Dream have held a lead in every single game of the 2025 season. With the exception of the loss to the Dallas Wings on June 24th (in which Atlanta shot 23.4% from the field, including 7-34 from three-point range and 72% from the free throw line), Atlanta has led by multiple possessions in every other game. Even in their two losses against the reigning WNBA champion New York Liberty, Atlanta led by 17 and 19 points.

Date	Opponent	Final Score	Atlanta’s Largest Lead
May 16	@ Washington Mystics	90-94	12
May 22	vs. Indiana Fever	76-81	9
June 6	@ Connecticut Sun	76-84	7
June 17	@ New York Liberty	81-86	17
June 24	@ Dallas Wings	55-68	2
June 27	@ Minnesota Lynx (OT)	92-96 (OT)	7
July 3	vs. Seattle Storm	79-80	7
July 11	@ Indiana Fever	82-99	8
July 13	@ New York Liberty	72-79	19
July 22	@ Las Vegas	72-87	7
July 29	vs. Golden State	75-77	5
August 15	@ Seattle	78-80	5
August 19	@ Las Vegas	72-74	10

Fourth quarter net rating struggles​

Over the course of the 2025 season, Atlanta has an excellent 7.3 net rating. This means that, on average, they are scoring 7.3 more points than their opponents, for every 100 possessions. Atlanta currently ranks second in the WNBA behind the Minnesota Lynx with an impressive net rating of 13.6. The next closest teams are the New York Liberty at 6.3 and the Phoenix Mercury at 4.2.

In the fourth quarter of games, however, Atlanta has a negative net rating of -0.1. This drop of 7.4 points from their overall rating to their fourth quarter rating is the second-largest decrease in the league, behind only that of the Las Vegas Aces (from 0.3 to -7.5). Atlanta’s drop is entirely from defensive struggles, as their defensive rating increases from an overall 99.6 rating to 106.1 in the fourth quarter.

Potential explanations for the endgame shortcomings​

There are a number of factors that affect a team’s fourth quarter net ratings including how close their games are in the fourth quarter, random variance that occurs throughout the season, and the impact of player rotations. Atlanta’s struggles could point to problems with their bench depth and player fatigue in crunch time.

Guards Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard are both in the top three in the WNBA for minutes played per game, averaging 35.4 and 34.7, respectively. Only Kelsey Plum plays more minutes per game than the two Dream stars. Additionally, Atlanta has not had a particularly deep roster; as of last week, the Atlanta Dream was “the only WNBA team to use fewer than thirteen players this season with just ten players averaging at least double-digit minutes.”

Atlanta’s best defender (with at least ten minutes played per game) has been Nia Coffey, with a 91.7 defensive rating. Coffey is averaging just 3.5 minutes per game in the fourth quarter, however. Gray and Howard have been on the court in the fourth quarter for 9.0 and 8.9 minutes per game, respectively. The two stars also have the worst defensive ratings for all Dream players this season (other than Brittney Griner, who has struggled with a 100.6 defensive rating on the season). Their season-long averages of 98.9 and 98.6 increase to 106.9 and 104.9 in the fourth quarter.

As the Dream ramp up for a postseason run, Coach Smesko and the Dream staff may need to consider giving Gray and Howard additional rest in the second half of games so that they can maintain their defensive efforts in the fourth quarter. As they have shown throughout the season, Atlanta is capable of taking a lead against anybody. It may just require a bit of luck and attention to maintain those leads at the end of games.

All stats are from WNBA.com unless otherwise noted.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/atlanta-dream/64783/unpacking-the-atlanta-dreams-fourth-quarter-woes

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Where the Hawks rank in NBA 2K26’s Top 100 ratings

With the NBA being in its quiet phase before the season starts, fans are looking to find anything to get them excited for the coming months. One thing that always gets fans — and players — excited about the upcoming season is the release of NBA 2K. What’s even better is knowing what the players’ ratings will be in the game.

NBA 2K is currently releasing its top 100 ratings, and there are a few Hawks’ players who made the list.

Let’s take a look.

Jalen Johnson — 81 overall​

Jalen Johnson should be one of the more exciting players in the game because of his athletic ability and being able to dunk at any moment. Before Johnson was injured last season, he was putting together a strong season and was posting stats that only a few players in the league had.

It makes sense why NBA 2K may be low on his rating to start out and why he was ranked the No. 96 player in the game, but there are also some players around his rating that could raise some questions, such as Alex Sarr, who is also an 81 overall. These two players are not on the same level in reality, but with Johnson being hurt for most of last season, and Sarr coming along late in the year, NBA 2K decided to give them the same rating.

Onyeka Okongwu — 81 overall​

Onyeka Okongwu is also an 81 overall and was ranked the No. 93 player in the game. Okongwu had a nice second half of the season last year when he was inserted into the starting lineup, and one of the biggest improvements in his game came from the perimeter. For the past few seasons, Okongwu has increased the frequency of his 3-point shooting, and it’s obvious that he’s starting to feel comfortable in that area. NBA 2k started him out with a 74 3-point shot rating.

Okongwu has the potential to have his rating rise this season with a full season as a starter, as he’s shown the ability to finish at the rim at a high level and also be a facilitator at times.

Dyson Daniels — 83 overall​

Dyson Daniels is ranked as the No. 64 player in the game. There’s no surprise where Daniels ranked, and there’s no doubt that he made a huge jump from two seasons ago to last season. The one thing that may have Daniels ranked where he is – his defense. His perimeter defense is tied for first in the game at 94, next to Lu Dort. For a player who led the league in steals and deflections, it should be no surprise that he’s ranked that high.

Daniels’ offensive game also improved last season, and the NBA 2k gave him an 80 3-point rating.

Kristaps Porzingis — 85 overall​

Kristaps Porzingis is the second-highest rated player on the Hawks and is ranked as the No. 53 player in the game. Towards the end of last season, Porzingis was barely on the court because of an illness, but he seems to be fully healthy now. NBA 2K did not take into account the illness, and it’s obvious because of how high his rating his.

When healthy, Porzingis is one of the best shooting bigs in the league, and he has an 86 3-point rating. There’s a reason they call him the unicorn, and it’s because of how gifted he is on offense at 7’2.

Trae Young — 90 overall​

This should be no surprise, as Trae Young is a 90 overall and is ranked as the No. 23 player in the game. Young is one of the best point guards in the league — and it’s because of his offensive game. Young is ranked No. 4 with a 98 ball handle, and he should be near the top with his playmaking in general. He led the league in assists last season, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he did so again.

Young also has an 85 3-point rating, as everyone knows that he can shoot from deep. Young has stayed around the same rating for some years, and he’s shown the consistency to be ranked high in the game.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/late...s-rank-nba-2k26s-top-100-ratings-news-ranking

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Hawks Reacts Survey: who to look for at EuroBasket 2025?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Hawks fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

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EuroBasket 2025 (2025 FIBA European Basketball Championship) has begun in earnest, and three Hawks are taking part in the major international competition.

All three of them have something to prove as they try to lead their respective countries to a medal finish. The competition is fierce — with the likes of all-world Nikola Jokic and former beloved Hawk Bogdan Bogdanovic helping form a Serbian favorite for gold.

But individual play will be important to monitor as well in the lead up to the 2025-26 NBA season. Zaccharie Risacher is looking to build upon a strong rookie season with France. Kristaps Porzingis wants to show his fatigue issues are a thing of the past with team Latvia. And Vit Krejci will use his Czechia play to fight for minutes with the Hawks in the upcoming season.

A question for the readers: which of these players do you have your eye on the closest over the next month of play?

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/opin...et-2025-kristaps-porzingis-zaccharie-risacher

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Health, Home-court, and Honors: Can Dream secure a top seed?

The Atlanta Dream are in the middle of a four-team race for the second seed in the WNBA playoffs, but the team did officially clinch the playoffs with a win over the Dallas Wings on Friday night. Here are five questions that remain for Atlanta as we move toward the playoffs:

1. Will we see a healthy Dream squad again during the regular season?​

The five players who currently appear to be the Dream’s preferred starters are Jordin Canada, Allisha Gray, Naz Hillmon, Rhyne Howard, and Brionna Jones. This group has only played in 13 games this season for a total of 72 minutes. Of the ten Dream lineups that have played at least 40 minutes together this season, this grouping has the best net rating at 27.2.

Unfortunately, Jordin Canada has not played since leaving Atlanta’s win over the Phoenix Mercury on August 10th. Before Atlanta’s game on Wednesday night, Michael Waterloo reported that Canada was doing “some light stationary bike work in her practice gear, but won’t be playing.” With just a handful of games remaining, it will be important for Canada to get back to game speed as soon as possible to reclaim her starting role as the primary facilitator and ball handler in Atlanta’s offense.

2. Can the Dream hold on to home-court advantage?​

The top four playoff teams, as seeded by record, host the first game of round one and would also host a potential deciding Game 3. Atlanta dropped out of the second seed with their loss to Las Vegas but has two extra games to play compared to the Aces. If they end up with an identical record to Las Vegas, the Aces do have control of the tiebreaker thanks to their 3-0 record against Atlanta this season.

Going into the weekend, the Dream were six games behind the league-leading Minnesota Lynx but within a game of Las Vegas, Phoenix, and New York. One of these four teams will lose home-court advantage as the fifth seed in the playoffs and have to go on the road to face the four seed.

3. Who will Atlanta face in the playoffs?​

With eight teams qualifying for the playoffs, Atlanta would prefer to stay in the top three of the standings in order to face one of the bottom three playoff teams. The Indiana Fever, Seattle Storm, Golden State Valkyries, and Los Angeles Sparks are all within two games of each other and competing in the standings for the final three playoff spots. Indiana has been decimated by injuries at the guard position as Caitlin Clark continues to recover from a groin injury. The expansion Valkyries have surprised many with their successful first season, while Kelsey Plum has led the Sparks squad to an excellent second half after entering the All-Star break with an 8-14 record.

4. Will any members of the Dream earn end-of-season honors?​

Rookie head coach Karl Smesko has been in the conversation for Coach of the Year honors, as the Dream have already surpassed last year’s win total. He has improved the team defensively and offensively compared to previous seasons and a top-four finish could be enough for him to win the award, depending on how Golden State rookie head coach Natalia Nakase’s squad finishes the season.

Naz Hillmon should be a favorite for the league’s Sixth Woman of the Year award. Although she has forced her way into the starting lineup ahead of Brittney Griner, Hillmon remains eligible as she has played more games off the bench than as a starter throughout the season.

Although Allisha Gray is not expected to challenge Napheesa Collier, Alyssa Thomas, and A’ja Wilson for the league’s MVP award, she should earn votes as media members submit five names for the recognition. Any acknowledgment as a potential MVP would be well-deserved as Gray leads the league in minutes played while shooting 44.8% from the field with the third-most made three-pointers in the league, the fifth-most points scored in the league, and the second-best +/- statistic of any non-Minnesota Lynx player in the league (right behind teammate Naz Hillmon and just ahead of former USC teammate A’ja Wilson).

5. When will Atlanta announce a new venue for future seasons?​

Atlanta’s home crowd loyalty was questioned by All-Star Rhyne Howard after Wednesday’s loss to the Las Vegas Aces:

@nocapspacewbb
Rhyne Howard makes big statement towards Atlanta fans after A’ja Wilson received MVP chants during the game #rhynehoward #ajawilson #wnba #trending #fyp

♬ original sound – No Cap Space WBB

While Howard’s frustration at fans cheering for an opposing player is reasonable, Atlanta has a bigger issue with its small venue and limited attendance capacity. According to Across the Timeline, the Dream were the only team in the league to average under 5,000 fans this season. The Gateway Center in College Park only has a capacity of 3,500 people. Atlanta Dream president Morgan Shaw Parker stated in a March interview that the team is looking into a new, larger arena, but no announcements have been made since then.

Prior to their 2021 move to College Park, the Dream played in the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks arena (formerly Philips Arena), as well as on Georgia Tech’s campus in McCamish Pavilion. Georgia State University has a basketball arena less than ten miles from the current location. Any of these three arena options would actually be located in the city of Atlanta and provide public transportation access that could increase the fan turnout for games. Revenue and sponsorship opportunities for players and free agents are obviously connected to the size of the fan base and local support, as seen by the lucrative contracts given to various Las Vegas Aces players in the last two seasons.

It may be time for the Dream to make a move to a larger venue in order to attract future free agents and maintain the team’s positive trajectory. Let us know in the comments below what you are looking forward to seeing over the rest of the season!

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/atla...dream-wnba-analysis-opinion-news-allisha-gray

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Hawks Reacts Survey Results: who’s the EuroBasket 2025 player to watch?

These are the results to the Hawks Reacts survey posted earlier this week.

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With EuroBasket 2025 beginning in earnest, Hawks fans have plenty of reason to tune in.

For one, there is no NBA basketball for another month or so — and we all know real basketball junkies need to get their fix. But secondly, three Hawks are currently representing their countries in international play, and their progress this summer and fall will be important to monitor.

Kristaps Porzingis is an NBA veteran on the wrong side of 30 coming off a post-viral syndrome last season, but he’s looking to tap into the fountain of youth and deliver Latvia strong individual performances. Zaccharie Risacher is a 20-year-old looking to tap into his potential further as he heads into his second NBA season. And Vit Krejci is somewhere in the middle — having carved out an NBA role but looking for more.

So, who was it that you, the fans, were looking at most during this European competition? Well, the answer hardly could have been clearer:

Brought to you by FanDuel.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/late...ults-whos-the-eurobasket-2025-player-to-watch

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Hawks sign Johnson, Murray Jr. to training camp pacts

With training camp set to tip off in roughly one month, it’s time for teams to work towards filling up the 21-man offseason roster.

The Atlanta Hawks have announced they’ve chosen to bring in two players who played for their Summer League team that went 4-1 in Las Vegas a couple of months ago: Javan Johnson and Dwight Murray Jr.

The Austell native Dwight Murray Jr. is familiar with the organization, having spent last season with the Skyhawks. In 43 total games played there, the 6-foot guard averaged 9.0 points and 5.1 assists per game. Murray also appeared in three games for the Summer Hawks playing a minor role off the bench.

Javan Johnson is a 6-foot-6 3-and-D wing with some experience playing both overseas and in the G League under his belt. He was also a member of the team out west this summer, registering 18.4 minutes, 7.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in three contests.

These will reportedly be training camp contracts — mostly likely Exhibit 10 contracts that are unguaranteed towards the cap but can reward the player with a small guarantee for sticking with the College Park Skyhawks this season.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/free...on-murray-jr-dwight-training-camp-latest-news

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

EuroBasket 2025: Czechia out, France, Latvia advance to bracket

With three Hawks involved in the 2025 edition of FIBA European Basketball Championship, there is a lot of excitement for them to show their skills on the international stage. As the tournament whittles down from group play to a single-elimination knockout bracket, the competition ramps up and the stakes get even higher.

Knockout play begins today, with 16 teams of the 24 initial teams advancing towards medal placement.

HERE. WE. GO!

The Round of 16 has arrived – who you got?

https://t.co/O8gpIsQl2R
https://t.co/6hgOQmjRh8#EuroBasket | #MakeYourMark pic.twitter.com/oWGes8wbHX

— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 6, 2025

Kristaps Porzingis has helped carry team Latvia into knockout play — which begins with a battle against their geographic neighbors Lithuania headed by Jonas Valanciunas now of the Denver Nuggets. Porzingis has averaged 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game so far in the group stage. His three-point shooting (20% on six attempts per game) has let him down some, but he’s proved to be at full stamina following a bout with post-viral syndrome.

You can stream EuroBasket 2025 on Courtside 1891, a subscription service provided by FIBA itself.

Zaccharie Risacher has also had a strong showing so far in the competition, helping power France into the round of 16. Risacher has played in all five games, averaging 10.2 points while averaging 48% shooting from three and 53% overall plus 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He’s been playing with improved physicality and taking on more of an expanded role with team France, showcasing his ball handling and slashing at times.

France will take on Georgia (the Republic of Georgia of course) tomorrow at 8 AM EST to advance into the quarterfinals.

Sadly, Vit Krejci’s quest for gold is over. The Czech national basketball team couldn’t not advance into the bracket after going 0-5 in group play. Ultimately, they finished 23rd only above Cyprus with their poor record and point differential. Krejci averaged 8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in the five games with poor efficiency from the field.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/late...orzingis-zaccharie-risacher-nba-atlanta-hawks

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Three areas for Zaccharie Risacher to level up his game

Zaccharie Risacher wasn’t everyone’s pick (this writer included) to be selected first overall in the 2024 NBA Draft when the Hawks unexpectedly won the top selection with only a 3% chance in the lottery.

He didn’t profile as a franchise-changing pillar. He wasn’t a 7-footer. He didn’t project to be a lead creator or have MVP-level upside.

But the young Frenchman eventually found a key role as an off-ball mover, cutter, and shooter, averaging 12.6 points on 46% shooting from the field and 36% shooting from three. His size at a listed 6’8” allowed him to play anywhere from the 2 to the 4, and he was a tireless, though inexperience, defender upon jumping to the NBA from JL Bourg in France.

Risacher went straight from his encouraging rookie season in the NBA into playing for his national team, France, in the lead up to EuroBasket 2025. While his team bowed out earlier than expected in the round of 16, he showed growth in the short international experience.

In six games (five in group play plus the single tournament game), Risacher averaged 9.7 points in 17.8 minutes per contest with 41% shooting from three and 48% overall plus per-game averages of 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists against 1.0 turnovers. Despite lazy analysis from some national NBA writers (no, coming off the bench in an international game as a 20-year-old isn’t a black mark against him), he had a clearly successful FIBA campaign.

Now, as he heads into his second year in the NBA, he’ll be expected to take on a more prominent role in a Hawks team looking to take a step forward.

That begs the question: what three basketball skills will be necessary for him to show growth in this season?

Playmaking​

To be clear, the Hawks have an elite playmaker in Trae Young at point guard — a player who has the ball in his hands as much as any player in the league. In fact, it can be argued that Risacher’s fit on a basketball court is dependent upon having another high-level creator similar to that of the caliber of Young.

But playmaking is more than necessarily breaking down a defense with ball handling or initiating offensive sets. Some of the best passers operate as a secondary options who can receive the ball, make quick decisions, and dish it out before the defense to react to create opportunities for others.

Risacher could only muster 1.2 assists per game against 1.2 turnovers per game in 2024-25, indicating that there’s some definite room to grow into a better decision-maker. He flashed those skills a bit more in international play (3.4 assists per 36 minutes compared to 1.8 in the NBA), and his vision on the court will develop as the speed of the game slows down for him, so there’s a long runway for this to be a real asset in the future.

Ultimately, his best path to impacting the game is through being a jack-of-all-trades type who can connect initiators like Trae Young with play finishers like Onyeka Okongwu and Kristaps Porzingis. With the Hawks looking to play an up-tempo game, he’ll have to continue to get better at making quick decisions with the basketball.

Finishing at the rim​

As a wiry 6-foot-8 player, Risacher has the ability to get up and throw down. But in his rookie season, he ran into some issues finishing in the paint through contact. This is not a real concern now for a guy playing at the highest professional level at the age of 19, but this will be a necessary aspect of his game as a counter to teams closing out hard to him on the perimeter.

Last season, he only converted 42% of his driving shots, and his passing out of drives wasn’t where it needed to be at the same time. He passed out of drives just 28% of the time, second lowest on the team, demonstrating some level of tunnel vision when he gets in those situations.

Per Shotcreator, Risacher only finished 43% of non-rim paint attempts, a mark that was below league average. It’s a good proxy for finding ways to score when you can’t get all the way to the hoop with a shot-blocker in your path to the rim.

He’s already proven to be a dangerous catch-and-shoot player when given space, as indicated by his tear down the stretch run of last season. Now, the tough baskets will need to follow for him to take another leap.

Physicality​

When Risacher reflected on his jump to the NBA last season, he created an unfortunate soundbite:

Zaccharie Risacher on transitioning to the NBA:

“Back in France I was super athletic, now I’m just a regular dude.”

(@johnhollinger) pic.twitter.com/KxWBbnBb4M

— SleeperHoops (@Sleeper_Hoops) October 30, 2024

In reality, Risacher has real straight-line speed and definite bounce on par with the upper half of NBA athletes in my estimation.

But similar to his finishing through contact, his ability to grab rebounds and defend athletic wings and forwards will only go as far as his physical profile will let him. Last season, he snared 5.2 rebounds (1.7 offensive rebounds per 36 minutes), 1.0 steals, and 0.7 blocks per 36 minutes, and these hustle indicators are often correlated with a player’s ability to cope with the physical grind of bodying up against some of the best athletes in the world.

There has been murmurs about Risacher’s true height — and a bigger frame would allow him to add bulk while maintaining basketball agility and explosiveness. If true, his ceiling could be higher than most figure.

There’s no question about Risacher’s drive and competitiveness to get better and continue to prove himself at the highest level. That determination to improve, both on the court and in the gym, has to be encouraging for Hawks fans. So even if he got pushed around at times as a wide-eyed rookie in the league, I see a future where Risacher can better assert his will.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/anal...ba-zaccharie-risacher-rookie-analysis-opinion

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Hawks sign NBA vet Bassey to reported camp deal

On Wednesday, the Atlanta Hawks announced they had signed center Charles Bassey to a contract. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that it was an Exhibit 10 contract — a fully non-guaranteed training camp deal.

The Atlanta Hawks signed center Charles Bassey to an Exhibit 10 deal, league sources told @hoopshype. Bassey played in 36 games for the San Antonio Spurs last season, averaging 4.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 10.4 minutes. pic.twitter.com/ipazRj1wxv

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) September 10, 2025

Last week, the Hawks signed Summer League participants Javan Johnson and Dwight Murray Jr. to identical deals. They were quickly waived and will almost assuredly head to the College Park Skyhawks, a common move to give the players a chance to earn some guaranteed money for playing for the Hawks’ G League affiliate. It’s likely Bassey is waived in the same manner soon.

Bassey is a four-year veteran of the NBA who last played for the San Antonio Spurs. The 6-foot-10 center has career averages of 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per game in 113 career appearances.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/late...rles-bassey-report-training-camp-atlanta-news

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Hawks finally make Kobe Johnson signing official

The Hawks have made a number of training camp signings in recent days. Now, they bring in a very familiar face to at least one major member of the team.

Many weeks ago, Brad Rowland of the Locked on Hawks podcast reported that Kobe Johnson would be signing an Exhibit 10 offseason contract to join his older brother, Jalen Johnson, on the team:

Per multiple sources, Kobe Johnson is signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Hawks.

Exhibit 10 deals are commonly referred to as “training camp contracts.”

It’s a non-guaranteed one-year deal that can be converted to a two-way contract at the team’s discretion. https://t.co/lBELXYjwyz

— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) June 27, 2025

Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution just yesterday confirmed that the Hawks would indeed be making that deal — which the Hawks later confirmed themselves:

The Hawks will also sign Kobe Johnson to an Exhibit 10, per league source. https://t.co/ZWtgj6EWNm

— Lauren L. Williams (@WilliamsLaurenL) September 11, 2025

Johnson played with the Hawks during their Summer League campaign in July. There he averaged 9.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in four appearances. He’ll likely end up on the College Park Skyhawks roster this season with a chance to show his stuff as a 3-and-D wing.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/late...len-kobe-johnson-signing-official-latest-news

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Atlanta Dream 2025 playoff preview

The Dream will officially play the Fever after finishing the regular season as the three-seed. Indiana is missing Caitlin Clark and several other key contributors due to injuries, giving Atlanta an opportunity to win their first multi-game playoff series since 2013. Atlanta has not had a healthy roster for much of the season, but the team should be at full strength entering the playoffs.

Opponent Preview​

The Indiana Fever finished the 2025 season in sixth place with a 24-20 record — they were 8-5 (.615 winning percentage) with Caitlin Clark active and 16-15 (.516 winning percentage) without Clark playing. However, the Fever roster available for the playoffs will look far from ideal for Indiana fans. In addition to losing Clark for the season, the Fever have also lost forward Chloe Bibby and guards Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson, and Aari McDonald due to injury. Fever fans had hoped the team would build upon their 2024 playoff appearance after going 20-20 with Clark playing in all 40 games last season. Unfortunately, they find themselves right back in the same six-seed slot with a tough challenge upcoming in an impressive Atlanta squad.

Atlanta and Indiana split the season series 2-2, with two single-digit margins of victory, and splits at home for both teams. Clark was available for three of the four matchups, including both of Indiana’s wins. In the one game without Clark, Atlanta won by 19 points. Three of the Fever’s top seven rotation players from that contest will not be available for this playoff matchup: DeWanna Bonner ended the season with the Phoenix Mercury, while McDonald and Colson are part of the injured contingent.

The Fever and Dream have not played against each other since July 11. Since that game, the Fever have gone 14-10 (.583 winning percentage). During the same timespan, the Dream finished 18-6 (.750 winning percentage), with one loss to each of New York, Golden State, and Seattle, along with three losses to Las Vegas.

Looking Ahead​

Game 1 of the first round will be on Sunday, September 14th, for all four of the WNBA playoff matchups. Atlanta will host the opening game before traveling to Indiana for Tuesday night’s Game 2 matchup at 7:30pm Eastern. The potential deciding Game 3 time has not yet been scheduled, but would be played Thursday night in Atlanta. If Atlanta can advance to the semifinals, the five-game second series will begin on Sunday, September 21st. The WNBA finals are scheduled to commence on Friday, October 3rd.

If Atlanta is able to get past Indiana in the first round, they would face the winner of the eight-seed Seattle Storm and two-seed Las Vegas Aces. By beating the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night, Las Vegas clinched the second overall seed in the playoffs, guaranteeing themselves home-court advantage through the WNBA semifinals. Unfortunately for Las Vegas, they may have cost themselves an easier matchup, as they will face an intimidating Storm team that has gotten increased contributions from rookie Dominique Malonga, while starting an impressive lineup that includes All-Stars Nneka Ogwumike, Gabby Williams, Ezi Magbegor, Brittney Sykes, and Skylar Diggins.

Atlanta fans will be hoping that Seattle can stop Las Vegas’s 16-game (!) winning streak. The Aces were kryptonite for the Dream this season, going a perfect 3-0 against the Dream. In fact, Las Vegas was the only team that Atlanta failed to defeat this season. Atlanta would much rather face Seattle, who they split four games with — the two losses were by a combined three points, including a two-point loss in Vancouver for the WNBA’s first regular season game in Canada.

On the other side of the playoff bracket, the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx will go up against the Golden State Valkyries. The winner of that series will play the winner of the four-seed Phoenix Mercury and five-seed New York Liberty. Atlanta would not have to face either of last year’s finals team (the Lynx and Liberty) until a potential finals series.

Awards Season​

The Atlanta Dream have begun sending out gift packs to media members in order to raise awareness for voting season:

Big #WNBA end-of-season award mail day today!

1st package! From the @AtlantaDream:

Clever Allisha Gray and Naz Hillmon gift pack complete with leggos, goggles (Gray), and a portable charger (Hillmon)

Practical, useful, creative. Well done, Dream. pic.twitter.com/q5QPYqLrGV

— Terry Horstman (@terryhorstman) September 8, 2025

Allisha Gray should receive MVP votes and representation on the All-WNBA team. Atlanta is promoting Naz Hillmon for both Most Improved Player (in which she will be competing with Veronica Burton of Golden State) and Sixth Player of the Year (where Natisha Hiedeman of the Minnesota Lynx and StudBudz fame is also in the conversation). Hillmon’s improvement in three-point shooting is unprecedented, and she has been one of Atlanta’s, if not the entire WNBA’s, most effective players this season. Hillmon is second in the league in +/- behind only MVP candidate Napheesa Collier.

Additionally, rookie head coach Karl Smesko has been in the conversation for Coach of the Year thanks to his transformation of Atlanta’s offense, though he is expected to lose to fellow first-year coach Natalia Nakase. Nakase is the league’s first Asian-American coach and helped Golden State set WNBA records as the first expansion franchise to make the playoffs since 1997 with a record 23 wins, piecing together a formidable defense with a roster of unprotected players selected in the off-season’s expansion draft, international players, and available role players.

It is an exciting time to be an Atlanta Dream fan as the current roster is in great position to contend for a WNBA championship!

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/atla...lmon-allisha-gray-indiana-fever-caitlin-clark

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Report: Hawks send Kobe Bufkin to Nets for cash

The Kobe Bufkin era has reportedly ended unceremoniously. After being drafted by the Hawks with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Atlanta is now sending Bufkin to the Brooklyn Nets for cap space relief per Shams Charania of ESPN:

The Atlanta Hawks are trading guard Kobe Bufkin to the Brooklyn Nets for cash considerations, sources tell ESPN. Bufkin was Atlanta's No. 15 pick in the 2023 NBA draft, and this now gives him a fresh opportunity in Brooklyn, and the Hawks some roster flexibility. pic.twitter.com/5km2RMICrS

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 15, 2025

After an iffy summer league campaign, the Hawks have decided to part ways with him and send him to the Brooklyn Nets who have the cap space to simply absorb his approximately $4.5 million guaranteed salary for this season.

Bufkin only played in 27 career games for the Hawks due to various injuries including, but not limited to, his thumb and his shoulder. He averaged just 5.0 points and 1.6 assists per game in his career with the Hawks but did show flashes of defensive potential at this level.

Good luck to the young guard going forward.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/late...ta-kobe-bufkin-brooklyn-nets-latest-news-cash

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

25 in 25: Honorable mentions for best Hawks of last 25 years

In the middle of the 2025 calendar year and with the 2025-26 season tipping off next month, now is as good a time as any to reflect back on the first 25 years of this century of Atlanta Hawks basketball. That’s why I’m tipping off a series that looks at the best Atlanta Hawks of the past 25 seasons (dating back to the 2000-01 season).

The Hawks have had a topsy-turvy ride in the past 25 years with two Eastern Conference Finals appearances mixed in with a handful of clear, bottom up rebuilds.

My main criteria: first, team success matters. Putting up empty stats on teams that were doomed from the start doesn’t hold as much weight as being an important cog on a winning team — especially one that goes deep into the playoffs. Second, accolades matter. The Hawks haven’t had an MVP player since Bob Pettit back in the St. Louis days, but there have been some other major award winners that has garnered national praise. Third, longevity in a Hawks uniform absolutely matters.

Fourth, I am the judge, jury, and executioner of this list. There were no panels. There was no vote tally. What I say goes, and my opinion is clearly the only correct one.

I apologize in advance to anyone’s favorite Atlanta cult favorites. I’m only looking at on court contributions here.

So let’s jump into things with a few players that juuuust missed out on the top 25 list of Hawks of the past 25 seasons.

Honorable mention 1: Al Harrington (2004-06)​

Harrington spent two productive seasons in Atlanta after beginning his career with the Indiana Pacers. In those two seasons, he put up 18.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 46% from the field and 38% from three. He was a skilled scoring forward that went out and absolutely got buckets for teams that needed the scoring punch. He later played a role on the “We Believe” Golden State Warriors who knocked off the one-seeded Dallas Mavericks in 2007.

However, his Hawks tenure was as a leading man for a two-season span that saw the franchise go a flaccid 39-125 (.238). So for me, Harrington falls into the category as an empty-stats scorer and tank commander for some seriously dysfunctional mid-2000s Hawks teams. And that qualifies as a miss for this top 25 list.

Honorable mention 2: Josh Childress (2004-08)​

Josh Childress and his afro were instantly a fan favorite upon being drafted sixth overall in 2004. He was a standout at Stanford and was expected to help jumpstart the Hawks’ ascent back to relevancy. Eventually, he settled into a sixth man role as a bench wing to bring energy, scoring, and size on the perimeter as the Hawks went from laughingstock to feisty Eastern Conference 8-seed in 2008.

After averaging 11.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on glimmering shooting averages across his first four seasons, ’J-Chill’ took a completely unexpected route in turning down restricted free agency for then the most lucrative overseas contract in history with Greek basketball side Olympiacos. Losing a core piece — to a non-NBA team especially so — was a gut punch for a Hawks team that just broke through to the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons.

Honorable mention 3: Kirk Hinrich (2011-12, 2016)​

When you saw Captain Kirk and his goggles hit the court for the Hawks, you knew you were going to get a steady-handed point guard who was a sharpshooter on offense and worked tirelessly defending guards at the point of attack. Hinrich came over in 2011 in a trade with the Washington Wizards for a package centered around Mike Bibby and Jordan Crawford. He helped the Hawks upset the 4-seed Orlando Magic in 2011, but he was unable to suit up in the next series against the Chicago Bulls (something that opened up minutes for a future All-Star and podcaster who will appear later in this series).

Honorable mention 4: Dwight Howard (2016-17)​

Dwight Howard was recently enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame — and deservingly so. At his peak, he was a frightening physical specimen, perennial Defensive Player of the Year, and borderline MVP candidate during his illustrious career with the Orlando Magic.

After missing out on their chance to land the southwest Atlanta native in free agency in 2013, the Hawks managed to secure his services in 2016 with a three-year, $70.5 million contract — still one of the richest contracts ever handed out in unrestricted free agency for the franchise. But his one season with the Hawks was a major disappointment from the team’s point of view after losing Al Horford in free agency to the Celtics. The Hawks slid to 43-39 and a first-round playoff exit, and Howard showed major signs of slowing down due to age and the accumulated injury toll.

So, after one season averaging 13.5 points and 12.7 rebounds per game, the Hawks pivoted to rebuilding by sending Howard to Charlotte in a salary dump trade. It was an unfortunate divorce for a player who seemed generally thrilled to be playing in front of his hometown fans.

Honorable mention 5: Danilo Gallinari (2020-22)​

‘Il Gallo’ was signed in the 2020 offseason — along with Bogdan Bogdanovic, Rajon Rondo, and Kris Dunn — in an effort to jumpstart the Hawks post-COVID interruption and contend with Trae Young at the helm. The veteran had been a productive player for the Knicks, Nuggets, Clippers and others, and his size and shooting in a bench role aimed to open up space for Young to operate.

The forward did just that, shooting 39% from three on 4.7 attempts per contest in his two-season stint here, and he became absolutely vital to a team that made an exciting charge into the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.

Ring of honor mention: Dikembe Mutombo​

The late, great Mutombo is one of this franchise’s best men, both on and off the court. The defensive stud was a Hawk for 4.5 seasons (1996-2001), making the All-Star Game in all of those years in which it was held. His jersey number 55 is one of just five players’ numbers that have been retired by the franchise. And he was a titan in the field of humanitarian work all the way until his passing last year.

But for this exercise, he only counted for 0.5 of those seasons from 2000 until he was traded at the 2001 trade deadline to the Philadelphia 76ers — too short to be on the list but mention is warranted, nonetheless.

Honorable honorable mention: Rasheed Wallace​

For one glorious February 2004 game in Atlanta, ‘Sheed put on a show, dropping 20 points, six rebounds, and five blocks in 42 minutes after a three-way trade between the Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons, and Hawks fell through. He was moved on to the Pistons in a reworked deal the following day, and there he formed a crucial part of a championship core.

On a per-game basis, he has to be one of the most productive players in franchise history. I see no reason not to hang the jersey in State Farm Arena.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/atla...embe-mutombo-rasheed-wallace-danilo-gallinari

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

25 in 25: No. 25 to no. 21 of best Hawks of last 25 years

As we ramp up towards the 2025-26 NBA season, I wanted to take a look back before looking ahead.

I introduced this series on Wednesday with the criteria clearly outlined for who I believe are the 25 best and most impactful Hawks of the previous 25 seasons. These have been an interesting past few 25 years for the franchise, often finding ways to win despite missing out on MVP-level talent.

The honorable mentions were below that preamble linked above, with a couple of notable role players and spot starters. Now, we move into the range of key sixth man and useful starters on playoff teams.

So without further ado, let’s get into number 25 on my top 25 list:

No. 25: Jamal Crawford (2009-11)​

Even years after his retirement, Crawford’s mixtapes go crazy. He’s every hooper’s favorite hooper with his array of behind-the-back dribbles and snatch back hesi middies. At every stop in his NBA career, Crawford ‘J-Crossover’ scored and created for himself at a level few could match. So what if he wasn’t the most connective fit in a five-man unit? Or that he was a major target on defense? He got buckets.

After starting for both the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, and Golden State Warriors, Crawford came to an Atlanta team that had Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson carved into the two starting guard spots. Thus, sixth man Jamal Crawford was born, and he won his first of three career Sixth Man of the Year awards in 2010 with the Hawks.

Crawford often played next to Joe Johnson once Mike Bibby sat, and in 155 games with Atlanta all off the bench, he averaged 16.1 points (44/36/86 shooting slash), 3.1 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game. His self-created midrange and long-range shooting is the stuff of legends, and one bank shot in particular lives on in Atlanta Hawks lore as a major moment in a playoff series upset:

No. 24: DeMarre Carroll (2013-15)​

Carroll was a relatively unknown journeyman when he signed with the Hawks from the Utah Jazz for two years and $5 million. He ended up starting 142 games for the Hawks at the small forward spot, often taking on the other team’s most critical offensive player as a relentless, bruising 6’6” defender. He even remade himself into a solid shooting wing, hitting 38% of his Hawks career threes on 4.0 attempts per game.

The Junkyard Dog broke out in 2013-14, but his play wasn’t truly noticed until he and the Hawks went on a crazy 19-game winning streak in 2014-15, including a perfect 17-0 record in January of that season. For his efforts, Carroll and the rest of the starting unit were collectively named the January 2015 Player of the Month.

Carroll even got Defensive Player of the Year votes that season in which he averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He received a nice payday from the Toronto Raptors in free agency that summer with his career peak behind him, but he’ll still be remembered fondly in Atlanta for his successful two seasons here.

No. 23: Mike Bibby (2008-11)​

The Hawks had been looking for a franchise point guard to pair with their ascending core, having cycled through journeymen and unproductive draftees for a number of years. Prior to the 2007-08 season’s trade deadline, the Hawks decided to trade for a veteran who had recently been a part of successful Sacramento Kings (yes, at one point they had sustained success) teams of that decade.

Mike Bibby at this stage of his career wasn’t a primary option, so upon stepping into a team with Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford, and others, he operated as a table-setting point guard, calming initiating the offense, finding teammates, and stretching the floor with catch-and-shoot threes.

He was an absolute marksman from deep, hitting 40% of his threes across these four seasons, and he was cautious playmaker, averaging 4.5 assists for 1.6 turnovers per game. Bibby was instrumental in the Hawks reaching the playoffs for the first time since 1999 — a run of three straight playoff appearances with him at the helm before being traded at the 2011 trade deadline.

No. 22: Kent Bazemore (2014-19)​

Similar to Carroll, Kent Bazemore was a bit of a reclamation project for Mike Budenholzer and his Hawks University development program. ‘Baze’ showed a bit of bounce and slashing ability with the Warriors and Lakers, but never really got consistent minutes as an undrafted player from Old Dominion.

The Hawks signed him for cheap in the 2014 offseason, and he went on to form a key part of, I would argue, the strongest bench unit in the NBA in 2014-15. Once Carroll departed for Toronto, he stepped into the starting small forward role and played a glue guy role largely as a shooter and cutter from the corners in halfcourt sets. While he couldn’t quite replicate Carroll’s role on defense, he re-upped with the Hawks on a lucrative contract in the cap space-filled 2016 offseason.

But that 2017 offseason, the franchise made a hard pivot. In came Travis Schlenk to run the front office. Out went coach Bud in the 2018 offseason, and Bazemore himself was moved in the 2019 offseason to Portland after five productive seasons in Atlanta.

No. 21: De’Andre Hunter (2019-25)​

In the middle of a Sixth Man of the Year caliber campaign — a career season when he averaged 17 points while shooting 41% from three — the Hawks made the decision to part with one of their longest tenured players this past February. And while his new team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, crashed out of the playoffs despite a stellar regular season, Hunter is really just now entering his prime after a rash of early career injuries.

The Hawks maneuvered in the 2019 NBA Draft to move up to fourth overall to draft Hunter, who was fresh off a championship season at the University of Virginia. He was supposed to grow into a stopper of an on-ball wing defender with loads of shooting upside. But despite the Hawks as a team taking flight in his second season in the NBA, Hunter missed a large chunk of that season (2020-21) and the next (2021-22) with knee injuries.

Hunter agreed with the team on a significant rookie extension in 2022, and after a rocky start to that extension, he’s become a strong sixth man for both Atlanta and Cleveland offering floor spacing, positional flexibility and reliable team defense.

It’s true that Hunter has been something of a disappointment as the fourth overall pick, but in the years since he’s turned into one of the best shooters in the league as a wing archetype that every NBA team desires. So even today, it’s still easy to root for the mild mannered player — at least when he’s not playing the Hawks.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/atla...l-crawford-demarre-carroll-deandre-hunter-nba

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

25 in 25: No. 20 to no. 16 of best Hawks of last 25 years

I began this countdown in earnest last time out with a look at a quintet of players who just made the list of the 25 best Hawks of the last 25 seasons.

Today, we’re looking at some more important sixth men, long tenured culture setters, and playoff performers. Remember, longevity matters. So, spoiler alert: there will be no one-year wonders appearing on this list, with all apologies to Dyson Daniels and others.

Postseason contributions loom large in this list, with the 2008, 2015 and 2021 postseason runs at the forefront of our collective memories.

Let’s dive right into number 20 on the list:

No. 20: Zaza Pachulia (2005-13)​

I lied when I said cult favorites didn’t matter for this list. This guy was every Hawks’ fan favorite Georgian from another Georgia.

Pachulia’s on court contributions were relatively modest, but he was there from the start of the rebuild to contributing to consistent playoff teams. But most importantly, he became an important heart and soul to the team for nearly a decade.

He came to Atlanta after two seasons of reserve center play in Orlando and Milwaukee but became the primary starter the next two seasons with the Hawks. After the Hawks drafted Al Horford, he shifted to being a key backup big man. Eventually he appeared in 556 games for the Hawks, 14th most in franchise history, while averaging 7.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.6 minutes per game.

His toughness at the center position is the stuff of legends, and Pachulia was never one to back down from a challenge — even if the person on the other end was one Kevin Garnett.

For the perennial underdogs Hawks, Zaza was always there to remind you “nothing easy.”

No. 19: Lou Williams (2012-14, 2021-22)​

LouWill hails from south Gwinnett County, and coincidentally he ended up the Hawks in two distinct stints during his career. He jumped straight from high school to the NBA in the 2005 NBA Draft, one of the last to take that route prior to the rule change in 2006, and unlike Jamal Crawford, he quickly settled into his role as a sixth man microwave scorer for the Philadelphia 76ers.

He found his way to the Hawks the first time while the franchise had just transitioned away from the Joe Johnson era, and he put up 11.9 points and 3.5 assists per game on 41/35/86 shooting in 99 games from 2012-2014.

But Williams doesn’t make this list if he didn’t return to Atlanta for two more seasons to close out his NBA career. The Hawks flipped Rajon Rondo for Lou Williams at the 2021 trade deadline, and with Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter suffering from injuries in the second half of the season, the Hawks leaned into their high-powered perimeter offense to surge to crazy heights under new coach Nate McMillan.

He averaged 10.0 points and 3.4 assists per game in 24 regular season games for the Hawks that season, but his biggest contributions came in the postseason against his old team, the Philadelphia 76ers. With the Hawks down 26 in the third quarter in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Williams teamed up with Trae Young in the backcourt for roughly the final 15 minutes of the game to hit timely bucket after timely bucket. We all remember how that game and series ended.

No. 18: Onyeka Okongwu (2020-present)​

The story of Onyeka Okongwu is still being written along with two other players on this list. He was drafted sixth overall in the 2020 NBA Draft with hopes of him becoming a versatile, modern center. And in his fifth season in the NBA, he’s now really tapping into those rare skills.

He spent the first 4.5 seasons of his career as maybe the best backup center in the league behind Clint Capela. He’s always been an elite finisher around the rim and physically strong enough to battle with the Giannis Antetokuonmpos of the league. But after taking over for Capela in the starting lineup this season, he posted averages of 15.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks per game in 40 starts. Even more intriguing has been him canning 36% of his threes on 2.4 attempts per game as part of an efficient 65% true shooting percentage.

He’s always going to have to continue to prove on the court that he plays bigger than his listed height. And with the 7’2” Kristaps Porzingis on board along with a rebuilt reserve of big men, maybe Okongwu can now pass off bigger assignments to his teammates while still being a small ball mismatch. But the sky remains the limit for the high lottery draft pick.

No. 17: Dennis Schröder (2013-18)​

Schröder may ultimately end up the Basketball Hall of Fame largely due to his incredible international basketball career. Recently, he helped lead Germany to a 9-0 record in EuroBasket 2025 including an 88-83 final against Türkiye, and he was named both EuroBasket MVP and grabbed a spot on the All-Tournament First Team. This came just two years after he led Germany to victory in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and earned FIBA World Cup MVP.

But his Hawks career had some real ups and downs since being drafted 17th overall in 2013. He came in as the backup to Jeff Teague but worked hard to earn his keep as the leader of the 2014-15 bench mob that became vital to the 60-win team that year. In both 2014-15 and 2015-16, he received Sixth Man of the Year votes.

In the summer of 2016, Jeff Teague was traded to Indiana for a pick that became Taurean Prince — something that opened up the starting point guard spot for Schröder. Over the next two seasons, he averaged 18.6 points, 6.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.

But as Dennis’ production increased, the Hawks’ success decreased. And so, the writing was on the wall when the coach Mike Budenholzer left after a 24-58 season, the Hawks earned a top five draft pick, and they used it to bring in a certain dynamic one-and-done guard from the University of Oklahoma. Schröder would be traded to the NBA team in that same state that very offseason.

No. 16: Kevin Huerter (2018-22)​

One single performance in the biggest moment pushed Huerter up this list a few spots.

Kevin Huerter was drafted with one of three Atlanta draft picks in the 2018 NBA Draft, and he very quickly outplayed his 19th overall selection. At 6’7”, he could handle, create, and shoot as a secondary player to Trae Young. The nicknames quickly followed — whether it was Red Velvet or K’Von, he was quickly a social media favorite during every offensive outburst.

For a wing department depleted by injury in 2020-21, he was the only consistent, stabilizing force. But his biggest claim to fame came after the Hawks had just blown their opportunity to finish out the Philadelphia 76ers on their home court in Game 6 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Heading into the deciding game of the series, who would step up and have a memorable performance? No one but the affable redhead himself.

We’ll always have Game 7 Kevin.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/atla...ars-lou-williams-kevin-huerter-onyeka-okongwu

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

25 in 25: No. 16 to 11 of best Hawks of last 25 years

We move into the top 15 of my ongoing countdown of the top 25 Atlanta Hawks players of the past 25 years after covering no. 20 down to no. 16 on Sunday.

The players between 11 and 15 are generally either long-term impact starters or shorter-term All-Star level players at the peaks of their powers with the Hawks.

Some of the players put up good stat lines on middling or downright bad Hawks team, and so their impact wasn’t properly appreciated at the time. But such is the lifecycle of this up and down franchise during the new millennium.

Back to the list, starting with number 15:

No. 15: Marvin Williams (2005-12)​

The elephant in the room is that, yes, both a first ballot Hall of Fame point guard and a multiple time All-Star point guard were drafted immediately after Williams. Billy Knight’s strange preference for 6’8” players at every position ultimately won the day. But the one-and-done Tar Heel eventually turned into a useful starter for the Hawks and later for other teams around the league.

Coming out of UNC at second overall in the 2005 NBA Draft, the Hawks were looking to add talent to their core that included Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. By season two, Williams had slotted into the starting small forward spot as an athletic slashing wing in a big enough body to handle wings and forwards of all sizes defensively. But it quickly became clear that he would be a player to build with and not around despite his lofty draft selection.

Towards the end of his Hawks tenure, he became a reliable three-point shooter and helped the Hawks make the playoffs every season between 2008 and 2012 until he was traded to Utah as part of a franchise reset. He would then carve out the rest of his 15-season NBA career as more of a 3-and-D small ball four.

There will always be a what if caveat associated with his Hawks career, but getting six seasons of starter level production out a player edges him into the top 15 (which may say more about the recent history of the Hawks than anything else).

No. 14: Shareef Abdur-Rahim (2001-04)​

Abdur-Rahim managed t0 make it to an All-Star Game in the early 2000s for the moribund Hawks which earns him a spot on this list almost all by itself.

The Grizzlies were an expansion team back in 1996, and they opted for ‘Reef for their first ever draft pick with the third overall selection that draft. There was good reason for his high draft slot as a productive, offensively skilled forward from Cal who could face up and create space to shoot. But the Grizzlies turned out to be a dysfunctional franchise that ended up missing the playoffs in their six seasons in Canada before moving to Memphis.

The Hawks were aggressively looking to upgrade their team to win short term in the 2001 offseason after sending Dikembe Mutombo to the Philadelphia 76ers midseason that February. So, then general manager Pete Babcock opted against waiting for a young Spanish phenom named Pau Gasol to develop and instead sent him to Vancouver for a proven player on draft day.

The Atlanta-area native Shareef Abdur-Rahim quickly made himself back at home after the trade, scoring 21.2 points per game while adding 9.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game in the 2001-02 season, earning his only All-Star nod in his career. But that team went 33-49 in the middle of a nine-season stretch of missing the playoffs, so 2.5 years after acquiring him, the Hawks shipped him off to Portland in the two-team Rasheed Wallace trade.

One more thing: his basketball journey didn’t end when he retired from the league in 2008. He went into basketball operations after his playing days, and he’s currently the president of the NBA G League.

No. 13: Dejounte Murray (2022-24)​

Much has been written and said about the swing (and miss) in trading for Murray three years ago, so there’s no need to relitigate those events so recent in our memory. In short, pairing two slim ball dominant guards proved to be worse than the sum of their parts — especially so on defense.

But when Trae Young sat on the bench, Murray-led units were still productive, and the Hawks did manage a competitive series with the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.

Murray came to Atlanta off a season when he earned his first ever All-Star appearance, then with the San Antonio Spurs. His counting stats across the two seasons are still impressive (22, six and five averages on 46/36/81 shooting numbers), but with the team success trending the other direction and a reported locker room rift brewing, the franchise clearly pulled the plug at the right time.

Hey, at least the Murray experiment landed the Hawks both Dyson Daniels, a valuable first round pick in 2027 and more — not to mention the front office going back to the Pelicans well this past offseason to trade for a so-called ‘super pick’ in 2026.

No. 12: Bogdan Bogdanović (2020-25)​

‘Bogi’ is among the most revered of fan favorites, and it’s ultimately a shame he didn’t get more Sixth Man of the Year consideration for his plaudits (sixth in 2021-22 and fifth in 2023-24).

After the Kings declined to match Atlanta’s four-year offer in restricted free agency back in 2020, Bogdanović played a huge role down the stretch of the 2020-21 season and into the postseason. In 44 games that regular season, he averaged 16.4 points per game on nearly 50/40/90 efficiency — including shooting 49% from three from the All-Star break forward.

He was the de facto second option for a team that stormed into the Eastern Conference Finals, so that’s worth a lot in these rankings.

Though he struggled with injuries for his entire tenure and ended up making more appearances off the bench than as a starter, his marksmanship on the practice courts is the stuff of legends. His nearly perfect shooting form gave him a gravity on that court that had an immeasurable effect on a perennial top 10 offensive unit.

He left the Hawks at this past trade deadline having made the fifth most three-pointers in franchise history (745), and he’s currently top 10 in both free throw shooting percentage (88%) and effective field goal percentage (54.9%).

No. 11: Jason Terry (1999-2004)​

Jason Terry is often mentioned as one of the best players to never make the All-Star Game. His numbers during the four qualifying seasons (2000-01 to 2003-04) for this ranking to me are borderline All-Star worthy, that’s for sure.

The man they call JET had a modern game as a 6’2” combo guard who loved to pull up for threes long before it was fashionable. He had lightning quick speed on the ball, a knack for finding space moving off the ball, and was as reliable as they come.

Terry averaged 18.3 points and 5.9 assists per contest while shooting 43% from the field and 37% from three on 5.0 three-point attempts per game during his seasons after the turn of the century. Most impressively, he missed just six games in four seasons for the Hawks during this time period despite averaging 38 minutes a night.

As soon a season after the Hawks drafted him with the 10th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, Terry was unquestionably the best player on team until Abdur-Rahim’s arrival in 2001. Across the four seasons referenced above, he was no worse than the third-best player in any of those years, albeit on disappointing non-playoff squads.

To this day, Terry is in the top 10 in franchise history for total threes (648), assists per game (5.5) and steals per game (1.5). He eventually found his way onto two finals teams in Dallas, including the 2011 title winner, so it was good to see him finally experience playoff joy. But man, it would have been nice for him to get that opportunity in Atlanta.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/atla...jason-terry-bogdan-bogdanovic-dejounte-murray