Dec 29, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder gestures to his team during a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Three New Year's Resolutions For the Atlanta Hawks

Originally posted on Atlanta Hawks on SI
By Jackson Caudell | Last updated Jan 1, 2026 1:10 PM ET

It was not a good month of December for the Atlanta Hawks. They had a seven game losing streak an went 3-11 overall in the month, causing them to fall to 10th in the Eastern Conference Standings.

However, they did find a little momentum towards the end of the month. They overcame an 18 point deficit to nearly knock off the Knicks, they took Oklahoma City to the wire on the road without Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, or Kristaps Porzingis, and then they beat Minnesota by 24 to end the month. Yes, they are now 16-19 and have a lot of work to do, but this team has shown signs of life over the past few games.

So what are some New Year's resolutions for this team?

1. Be better on defense

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

For the month of December, the Hawks ranked 27th in overall defensive rating, just ahead of the Jazz, Lakers, and Wizards.

If the Hawks are going to have any chance of making a run at a top six seed and become a better team, they are going to have to be better on that end of the court. Having Kristaps Porzingis will help, provided he plays more games this month than he did in December.

2. Get healthy

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

While trade talks are dominating the Hawks right now, whether it be Trae Young or Kristaps Porzingis, this core has not been able to play much together.

While I don't think the Hawks are going to be as good as their preseason expectations, it is worth noting that Young, Porzingis, and Johnson have barely played together. While Young missed yesterday's game with a quad contusion, you could see the difference it made to have Porzingis out there with Johnson and the other players.

Again, I don't expect the Hawks to all of a sudden become NBA Finals contenders, but this month is going to be huge to see how all the pieces fit together.

3. Zaccharie Risacher Improves

While some of the criticism of Risacher has been overblown, he has not improved much year over year. He has not been much of a shooting threat on offense and struggles on that end. Defensively he has been fine, but he is not elite either.

Risacher is an important piece of this team and even though he has come up in trade talks quite often recently, I think the Hawks would love it if he could figure out a way to get things turned around and help this team make a run to the playoffs.

This article first appeared on Atlanta Hawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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