Atlanta Hawks
After a 14-20 start to the season, the Atlanta Hawks fired head coach Lloyd Pierce and named Nate McMillan the interim coach of the team. Since making this move, the Hawks have won 13 of their last 17 games and currently find themselves on a four-game winning streak.
This team has seen injury after injury this year to key starting rotation players, yet they are still very much in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. In fact, the Hawks are currently the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference and hold their own fate to the playoffs at this point.
Only two games separate the 4-seed and the 8-seed in the East right now, but still, this young Hawks team is definitely on the cusp of being something special. They are finding a ton of success short-handed, so just imagine what the Hawks would be doing if they were at full strength!
Trae Young has continued to be sensational this season, but it is what the supporting cast is doing that has made Atlanta a great team this season. Clint Capela has been one of the best centers in the league this season on both ends of the court, Danilo Gallinari has been a key veteran player for them in and out of the starting rotation and since returning from his knee injury, Bogdan Bogdanovic has been on fire.
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Since returning to the starting lineup, Bogdanovic has averaged 18.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and has shot 52.2% from three-point range. With Cam Reddish, DeAndre Hunter and John Collins all being out due to injuries, the production Bogdanovic has supplied this team with has been crucial and is a big reason why they are maintaining their success.
At full strength, the Hawks could be an extremely dangerous team come playoff time and a team that nobody will want to face. They are a great free-throw shooting team, courtesy of Trae Young being able to get to the line with ease, and have numerous players in their starting lineup and on the bench that can score in bunches.
No matter where they end up in the standings, expect the Atlanta Hawks to be a hot team entering the playoffs and a team that could potentially spark a huge upset in the first-round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
