NBA Expert Confirms What We Already Know About The Atlanta Hawks and Their Title Chances

The Hawks are typically grouped with other Eastern Conference contenders such as Cleveland, New York, and Orlando, but should they be? In a recent article from Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz, he graded the Hawks' title chances as a "B", meaning the Hawks are "Playoffs locks, but one small trade away or need a little internal development to win a title."

"The Atlanta Hawks' title chances have taken a big step forward from this time a year ago.

Kristaps Porziņģis is the perfect fit as a stretch-five and rim protector at center if he can stay reasonably healthy. Jalen Johnson, 23, was a borderline All-Star before tearing his labrum and Zaccharie Risacher showed real improvement in the back nine of his rookie season.

Believing in Trae Young as the No. 1 option on a championship team is a bit of a stretch, however.

Johnson is going to need to take a massive leap this season or else this team should be having serious Giannis Antetokounmpo trade discussions if it wants to win the 2026 title.

After ranking in the bottom half of the league in offense and defense last season, the Hawks will be better—but probably not a title contender."

Win-Loss Projections

It is fair to expect the Cavaliers and the Knicks to be at the top of the conference given that they return the majority of their cores from last season. However, Cleveland has lost in the second round of the playoffs in three straight seasons and the Hawks have matched up well with the Knicks in the past. While New York has better recent history when it comes to postseason success, they are not invincible.

Atlanta has to go out and earn it though. They have two players (Jalen Johnson and Kristaps Porzingis) who are injured often and there is not guarantee that young players like Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels will improve on last year. If these two question marks end up not being a concern, watch out.

With the new additions to the roster, as well as injuries to stars like Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton, there is an open window for the Hawks to not only be a playoff team, but to contend for the Eastern Conference.

In an updated win-loss projection from ESPN, Atlanta is predicted to go 47-35, which is good for fourth in the East behind Cleveland, New York, and Orlando.

"But when people refer to the East as "wide open" -- a sentiment assuredly going to be heard throughout the next few months -- it's coded language for no confidence in the Cavs. It's not unreasonable; they have underwhelmed in the playoffs in consecutive seasons, and their core remains largely the same, even if injuries played a role both times.

This is reflected in our projections; the Cavs sit at the top, but it's more a matter of default than demand. In fact, generally, there is not much confidence in the relative strength of the East at all. Only three East teams are projected to win more than 47 games. This feels impossible, since last season there were five that finished above that mark, but especially because, inherently, the elite East teams will end up with the easiest schedules.

But the Cavs, Knicks and Magic all have flaws and fragility. There is a definite window for a team like Orlando, fresh off the aggressive move to add Desmond Bane, to gain on the top teams. The same could be said for the Hawks after their own aggressive move to pluck Kristaps Porzingis off the Celtics and add Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The panel sees both making a move in the East but not yet overtaking the top teams."

The Hawks have made the moves to contend this season, but they might not have everything they need just yet. Let's see how the team looks in their season opener next month.

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