HOOPSAHOLIC

Last year, the Atlanta Hawks finished the season with a 38-44 record and were somehow able to make it to the playoffs as the 8th seed in Mike Budenholzer's first year as head coach. Once they got to the playoffs they even put up a fight, pushing the struggling Pacers to seven games before eventually losing. A new year under Budenholzer's system brings promise to this Hawks team moving forward. Budenholzer was formerly an assistant for the Spurs, and he's brought a lot of that Spurs "winning mentality" with him to Atlanta. You could see last season with their ball movement that they were improving, and they will look to continue those strides into this season. 

The best thing going for the Hawks is that their big man, Al Horford is returning from injury and should be ready for the start of the season. Through his career, Horford has averaged 14 points and nine rebounds and has been one of the best centers the league has to offer. It was a drastic blow for the team to lose him last season, and it'll be interesting to see how improved the team is with his post presence and defensive prowess. 

Teaming up with Horford in the post will be power forward Paul Millsap. Millsap is one of the more under-rated players in the entire NBA, and last season he really stepped up in Horford's absence. He averaged nearly 20 points and eleven rebounds per contest, while raising eyebrows along the way. He's a stable post player, who gives you a double double almost on a nightly basis. It's safe to say the Hawks have one of the best big-man duos in the entire league. For this team to be successful it will need to work the ball into the post and let the big boys do the work. 

Jeff Teague will be running the point for this Hawks squad, and I'm excited to see if he can put out another stellar season. He was very consistent for the Hawks last year, and he really thrived in the postseason. If he can average 19 points again on a nightly basis then the Hawks will be better than I'm projecting them to be. He will need to get his assist numbers up, and become more of a defensive presence in a point guard heavy league. I really like the way Teague plays! 

This roster has a nice combo of wing players that will each bring something different to the table. The most notable one is sharpshooter, Kyle Korver. Korver has been one of the league's best three point shooters since coming out of Creighton and the Hawks can count on him to continue that this season. I expect him to start at the shooting guard spot and build on his 13 points per game scoring he had last season. The Hawks also have defensive stopper Demarre Carrol to lead the way on that end of the court. Carrol is consistently matched up with the opposing teams best wing scorer, and he does a pretty good job. Now with the addition of Thabo Sefolosha in the offseason, the Hawks look to have a plethora of capable wing defenders. Playing in the East against players such as Melo, LeBron and Dwayne Wade, defensive stoppers will come in handy. 

I wouldn't be surprised if the Hawks made the playoffs, but I'm not banking on it. They were the 8th seed last year, but I think other teams in the East improved more than the Hawks did in the  offseason. They will make things competitive, but I don't see them making too much of a splash.