A Breakdown of the Atlanta Hawks roster and why I think they can make the playoffs.

(a thread)

Here is the Hawks projected 2020-21 Starting Lineup:

PG- Trae Young
SG- Kevin Heurter
SF- De'Andre Hunter
PF- John Collins
C- Clint Capela

Let's break this lineup down, one by one.

Firstly, Trae Young

We all know how weak Trae is defensively, but I don't think people realize how insane he is offensively

Last season, Trae averaged 29.6 PPG, 9.3 APG, 4.3 RPG, 1.1 STL on 44/36/86 splits and a 59.5 TS%

He also ranked top 15 in PER, OWS, OBPM, VORP and AST%

Kevin Huerter

In just his second season, Huerter improved in nearly evry single stat, both basic and advanced.
He averaged 12/4/4 on 38 3P% and 2.3 triples a game.

He and Cam Reddish will most likely battle it out for the starting SG spot, but for now I'm expecting Huerter.

De'Andre Hunter

After being drafted 4th, Hunter had a solid rookie season, averaging 12/5/2 on below average efficiency.
Although his defensive stats are not good, they do not translate perfectly to his actual level of individual defense. (see image)

John Collins

Power Forward John Collins has really emerged the last two seasons, averaging 20/10/2 on 57/37/78 in those two seasons combined.
Although it was a small sample size, Collins showed signs of much improved defense this season, which was his main flaw heading in.

Clint Capela

Last season, the Hawks allowed an NBA-worst 53.6 paint PTS/game.
Trading for Clint Capela, a good rim protector who has averaged nearly 2 blocks and solid defensive stats over his career, along with the improved D of Collins, can help this issue.

Hawks projected bench:

PG- Jeff Teague
SG- Cam Reddish
SF- De'Andre Bembry
PF- Skal Labissiere
C- Dewayne Dedmon

BENCH BREAKDOWN

Backcourt:
NBA veteran Jeff Teague and 2nd year man Cam Reddish run the backcourt off the bench.

Reddish played most of the season coming off the bench, however in 10 games after the all star break where he started, Reddish averaged nearly 20 PPG.

FRONTCOURT

The Hawks frontcourt off the bench consists of De'Andre Bembry, Skal Labissiere, and Dewayne Dedmon, three career role-players who can get you 5-10 points a night each. Labissiere is the one with the most potential, as he's always been a very efficient player.

Finally, here are the teams I have making the playoffs:

Bucks
Celtics
Raptors
Nets
Sixers
Heat
Pacers
Hawks

End of thread.

Let me know if you think the Hawks can make the playoffs, and what their record will be.