5 takeaways: Defense, depth headline Hawks Media Day

ATLANTA – Fortunes and identities change quickly in the NBA. Just this time last year, the future of the Atlanta Hawks was tied in large part to Trae Young, their All-Star, and Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick in 2024.

And now, they’re both gone as the Hawks move forward with a retooled cast and more optimism than a year ago. This has much to do with Jalen Johnson being on the heels of a breakout season and the amount of quality depth the Hawks surrounded him with during a busy offseason.

“It’s important to build and continue the evolution,” said coach Quin Snyder.

After winning 46 games and reaching the playoffs for the first time in three years, the Hawks return with their main core, plus a handful of acquired help that should figure prominently in the rotation. Snyder can play nine or maybe 10 players per night.

Obviously, then, the Hawks will enter camp and the upcoming season with lots of optimism and a team that should be more physical and also more diverse offensively.

Here are five takeaways from the Hawks’ media day:

1. D stands for Daniels, Dort and defensive duo

When the leading scorer from the opposing team squares up against the Hawks this season, he will most likely see one defender or another in his grill and neither will be a particularly pleasant sight.

The Hawk in question will either be:

An alert and opportunistic player with sharp anticipatory skills and an appetite for stripping away the ball and cutting off passing lanes.

Or a tough, physical player who relishes contact and will stick to you like a bad reputation.

As Johnson said about his teammates, while shaking his head with delight at the thought: “Pick your poison.”

The Hawks are the rare team with a pair of All-Defensive first team members in Dyson Daniels and the newly acquired Lu Dort. They are game-disruptors if not game-changers, capable of making even elite scorers work hard for every bucket. And on their best night, Daniels and Dort will force those scorers into poor shooting percentage nights that could dictate the outcome in Atlanta’s favor.

Even better, when Daniels and Dort are on the floor together, the top two scorers from opposing teams will be on alert.

And there’s a third player to the equation in Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the reigning Most Improved Player who will give the Hawks a trio of dangerous perimeter defenders.

/head