Three big questions Hawks must answer heading into the 2025-26 season

Adding Kristaps Porzingis to the roster ensured the Atlanta Hawks had a good offseason. When healthy, Porzingis is one of the best big men in the NBA, and could potentially strike up a fearsome partnership with Trae Young.

Atlanta should also have Jalen Johnson back in the rotation for the upcoming campaign, too. As such, Quin Snyder's team could take a sizeable step toward becoming a playoff threat in the Eastern Conference next season.

Of course, there are still areas of improvement for Atlanta. And, with that in mind, here are three questions the Hawks must answer as we head into the new season.

Can the Hawks do a better job at the free-throw line?

Atlanta ranked fourth in the NBA for free-throw attempts per game last season (23.3) but sat 18th in the league for free-throw percentage (77.5%). It has to do a better job of converting on their freebies. After all, the hard work has already been done; it's just a case of converting at a higher rate.

A realistic goal for the Hawks should be to keep their current free-throw volume but establish themselves as a top-10 team at the line. Not only would that result in additional points on the board, it could also lead to defenses thinking twice before playing the Hawks too tightly on defense, especially down the stretch. 

Will Young get a contract extension? 

Technically, Young has two years left on his current five-year $215M deal. However, the 2026-27 season is a player option, which he is likely to turn down in search of longer-term security, either with the Hawks or another team around the league.

For all of his defensive flaws, Young is an elite talent in the league. As we get deeper into the season, Young's impending free agency will become a topic of conversation, and the rumor mill will inevitably begin to churn. As a result, Young's contract status has the potential to become somewhat of a distraction for the Hawks. 

Therefore, it will be interesting to see whether the Hawks look to secure his long-term future or are willing to wait out the season and take things from there.

Are the Hawks going to improve on the perimeter? 

The Hawks aren't a high-volume three-point shooting team (37.7 attempts per game), sitting 15th in the NBA. They're also not very successful from deep, having ranked 18th in three-point percentage (35.8%) last season. In truth, that is a little shocking considering Young is on the roster.

With Porzingis now part of the rotation and Johnson coming back from injury, the Hawks should naturally improve as a floor-spacing unit. Nevertheless, they must find ways to continue growing as a three-point threat, either off the catch or the bounce. There is certainly considerable room for improvement. 

Fortunately for the Hawks, Snyder is a high-level coach and will undoubtedly put his team in positions to succeed. Of course, shots have to drop in order for that success to occur.