Ceiling, floor for Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young and co. not ready to compete with the East elite

Atlanta has surrounded their star duo with a number of shooters, adding Patty Mills and Wesley Matthews – two veterans who shoot 37.6 percent or better over their careers – to a core headed by Bogdan Bogdanovic (who shot 40.6 percent from three in 2022-23). 

De'Andre Hunter saw an uptick in scoring last season, averaging a career-best 15.4 PPG. Atlanta will need him to continue that trajectory with John Collins shipped out of town. If Hunter can solidify himself as a third scoring option behind Young and Murray, the Hawks should find themselves over .500 this season and potentially avoiding the play-in.  

Floor: 40-42 with back-to-back seasons of mediocrity

While Young is one of the premier talents in basketball, he's got a lot working against him. Leadership remains a lingering question surrounding the two-time All-Star after numerous run-ins with former coach Nate McMillan. Young also took a significant step back in his consistency from beyond the arc last season, shooting 33.5 percent from three – his worst mark since his rookie year. 

After years of indecisiveness involving Collins' long-term outlook in Atlanta, the Hawks finally traded the versatile big man to the Utah Jazz. While eliminating the uncertainty surrounding his situation is a plus, replacing a player with a 20-10 season on his resume will prove difficult. Saddiq Bey has never averaged more than 4.9 rebounds in a season, while Clint Capela's offensive game remains an afterthought relative to his defensive prowess. 

At worst, Atlanta will wallow around .500 for much of the season and battle for a postseason spot during the play-in tournament.