Overall Preseason Takeaways For The Atlanta Hawks

1. A breakout season could be brewing for Jalen Johnson

Coming into the preseason, Johnson had been touted as a potential breakout candidate after having shortened seasons the last two years due to injury, where he showed flashes of improvement. In the preseason, he proved that the very things he had been showing flashes of in a more consistent manner, and found himself in constant highlights due to his flashy plays on both offense and defense. One of the standout points to me from his play was that he made an impact immediately and consistently in both of his preseason games while playing in less than 30 minutes, with efficient shooting.

2. Zaccharie Risacher is looking promising

This offseason, Risacher has shown consistent growth in his game on both offense and defense, as well as his ability to grow more into his frame by putting on muscle. While in EuroBasket play, Risacher was guarding multiple positions and had worked on his shooting and overall scoring, which translated well into preseason play. During the preseason, Risacher had two games where he scored at least 15 points on efficient shooting and looked very comfortable with this Hawks roster, as he can play more freely on offense, due to increased floor spacing that helps with his ability to get to the basket, score from mid-range, and shoot the three. If this continues, Risacher will likely leap this year that fans and media have been anticipating since he was drafted first in the NBA Draft last season.

3. The Hawks will likely have another NBA top 10 offense

Throughout the preseason, the Hawks appeared very young and fast, consistently being one of the more effective teams in running the fast break. They consistently found themselves shooting the ball at a high rate or getting to the basket quickly. This was made possible by the consistent ball movement and offseason additions of players who move without the ball, also bringing a perimeter scoring ability that they've lacked in years past. With the talent on the roster now, the Hawks have consistent scoring threats. When teams try to double Trae Young, he has reliable teammates who can create their own shot and make defenses play more honest instead of trying to bring the double to trap Young. The offense, however, needs to cut back on turnovers, as it has been a consistent problem this preseason. This is similar to last season with the Hawks, who were among the highest NBA teams in turnovers per game.

4. The defense still needs work

While the Hawks' offense looks good, the defense remains a consistent problem, even in the preseason, as the Team found themselves in high-scoring, back-and-forth games. In all of these games, teams were playing without key starting pieces, which meant that second and third-unit players, who usually don't play, had pleasant scoring nights as a result. The most recent big scoring night came at the hands of Reed Sheppard, who was able to do whatever he wanted offensively, and the Hawks had no answer for Houston when it came to shooting three-pointers. In both games, the Rockets shot 40% and 41% from three-point range, which has been a consistent problem for the Hawks: guarding the perimeter. With the talent they've added, they must figure out how to defend the perimeter better if they want to take that next step forward. They have the capabilities to be a top team in the NBA this season.

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