Atlanta Hawks Season Preview: Trae Young Ready To Make A Big Leap

The 2018-19 Atlanta Hawks understood that they were beginning a lengthy rebuilding process. Their head coach, Lloyd Pierce, is a veteran of the Philadelphia 76ers' Process and was chosen in large part because of that experience.

Even so, the top-line 29-53 record misses much of the progress made by this roster. And expectations have been adjusted in Year 2, with a real shot at playoff contention possible as the belief in Trae Young has more than paid off already.

What's New

The Hawks added Allen Crabbe with their youth-created cap space, allowing Pierce to pick up a shooter at the price of Taurean Prince and Crabbe's RFA-matched deal. A busy draft night gave the Hawks DeAndre Hunter at the fourth overall pick and Cameron Reddish at 10, a pair of uber-athletes who Pierce is likely to coach up. And the hope is that fixable Jabari Parker, unfairly maligned Evan Turner and Chandler Parsons can absorb lessons on staying healthy and motivated at both ends of the floor from folks like Vince Carter, back for one more trip around the NBA schedule, to add depth to the rotation.

Best Addition: Kent Bazemore, now departed, could do plenty of things, but the Hawks really needed a shooter at his spot in the rotation. So going from his 32% from three last year to Crabbe's 39.3% career rate from deep is a big jump.

Biggest Loss: Taurean Prince is a long 6-8 and still just 25; don't be shocked when he finds another level in Brooklyn.

What's Coming

Look, we know what a Lloyd Pierce team is, a remarkable bit of culture infusion for someone who has coached for exactly one year. The Hawks led the NBA in pace last season - they're going to look for their shot by whipping the ball around the court, with no one on this team, and few in the league, more capable of finding the right, even rare pass than Trae Young, who defied the conventional path of a rookie and got exponentially better over the second half.

Kevin Huerter is a shooter extraordinaire who gets into the paint just enough to keep opposing defenses honest. John Collins averaged a double-double last season, converting his tools into skills at a rapid rate. Alex Len decided to make himself the very model of the stretch five, and Pierce's staff helped him reach that goal sooner than even they expected. Guys like Carter and yes, even Damion Jones can lead the way with explaining the small details that help turn teams into champions.

Team MVP: It's Trae Young already, the best sign for an Atlanta team that bet an extra pick and Luca Doncic on the idea. Young over the final two months of the season wasn't just holding his own, he'd turned into a light version of Steph Curry, something Curry hadn't even done as a rookie. He's got an incredible basketball IQ, he is exciting and effective in equal measure, he's reason alone to go see the Hawks for years to come.

Best Bargain: Damian Jones, with a championship pedigree, 71.6 percent from the field, a 5.1 block percentage and a rookie contract? Yes, that's a bargain.

X-Factor: Chandler Parsons hasn't been healthy for four years. But if he finds the right elixir, he would be the three the Hawks sorely need.

Best-Case Scenario

Young finds yet another level, Huerter becomes the Klay Thompson of Atlanta, Len is extra-accurate in a contract year, Evan Turner finally receives appreciation for what he is instead of scorn for what he isn't, and the Hawks are this season's Brooklyn Nets while Hunter and Reddish show signs of what they'll become.

Worst-Case Scenario

Still pretty good, there's lots of young talent here, but not all of them advance, leading to the top-line results remaining static.