8. Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks were one of the most surprising teams in the 2018-19 season. When they traded away a sure-fire All-Star (Luka Doncic) in exchange for a small point guard (Trae Young) during the 2018 NBA Draft, most NBA fans were extremely confused.
I would still take Luka over Trae 10 times out of 10, but Trae developed into a legitimately good prospect at the point guard position. He can shoot from anywhere, he has phenomenal vision and he’s a good teammate.
To go along with Trae, they have John Collins (an uber-athletic four), Kevin Huerter (a knockdown-shooting two-guard), De’Andre Hunter (a top-shelf three-and-D guy) and Cam Reddish (a shooter with a sky-high ceiling).
They’re building something real in Atlanta. My only question is which of those guys can be the best guy on a championship team? Maybe it’s Trae Young, maybe it’s Cam Reddish. Who knows? It’s far too early to tell. But I don’t have confidence that any of those guys can turn into a go-to scorer for four straight playoff rounds.
It feels like the Hawks have five guys that could be solid second options, but not one guy that can be a reliable first option. I’m not sure where that leaves them in five years.