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Oct 10, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) dunks against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Hawks Receive Interesting Placement In ESPN's Future Power Rankings

Originally posted on Atlanta Hawks on SI
By Jackson Caudell | Last updated Sep 17, 2025 11:21 AM ET

The Atlanta Hawks future has changed dramatically over the past couple of offseasons.

Things looked bleak for the Hawks after the 2024 loss to the Chicago Bulls in the NBA play-in tournament. Since then, Atlanta has won the draft lottery and selected Zaccharie Risacher, got Dyson Daniels back in the Dejounte Murray trade, traded for an unprotected 2026 draft pick from New Orleans (which could be among the top picks in a loaded draft next season), and added Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexnander-Walker, and Luke Kennard to the team this offseason.

After being viewed as a perennial play-in team with a bleak future, the Hawks are now being seen as a potential Eastern Conference threat, with the potential of adding a top five talent next offseason in the draft.

ESPN's future power rankings

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Each offseason, ESPN releases their NBA future power rankings based on this formula:

"We determined that the most important category is a team's current roster and the future potential of those players. That category accounts for 50% of each NBA team's overall Future Power Rating, the 0-100 score each team receives to determine its overall ranking.

At the same time, we looked at management, ownership, coaching, a team's spending habits, its cap situation, the reputation of the city and the franchise, and what kind of draft picks we expect the team to have in the future."

So where did the Hawks rank? They came in at No. 12 overall ranking 14th in players, 9th in money, 7th in draft, 11th in market, and 11th in management:

"The Hawks have failed to advance past the first round in four straight seasons, have not won more than 48 games since 2015-16 but moved up 11 spots. The jump is noticeable because San Antonio controls the Hawks' first-round pick in the next two years and All-Star guard Trae Young could become a free agent next offseason. However, Atlanta ranks in the top 15 in every category, largely because of several shrewd transactions this summer. The Hawks added Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard to a roster that already featured Young, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher. More importantly, Atlanta controls the more-favorable 2026 first-round pick of Milwaukee or New Orleans."

More room to move up?

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Hawks were one of the biggest movers up this offseason and were the only team in the NBA to rank in the top 15 of every category. They could continue this climb up if they show they are capable of making a legitimate run in the playoffs while also getting a top draft pick from the Pelicans/Bucks next May.

Not only that, the young talent still has plenty of room to grow. Jalen Johnson looked like an All-Star before his injury, Zaccharie Risacher was the runner up in the rookie of the year race, and Dyson Daniels not only won Most Improved Player, but was second in Defensive Player of the Year Voting. With those three players, plus this years first round pick Asa Newell, the Hawks have a very nice foundation to continue building around.

A lot has been done right by this new Hawks front office and there are lots of reasons to be optimistic about the direction of this franchise.