A month after the Knicks’ championship, it’s still ridiculous to think that it was the Hawks that challenged the Knicks the most. It wasn’t a 76ers team that had Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, who have given the Knicks all kinds of trouble in the past. It wasn’t the Cavaliers who, at least on paper, had one of the most talented and balanced starting fives in the entire league. And no, it was not the Spurs and their generational big man who has a combination of size and talent the world has never seen before.
It was the Hawks. C.J. McCollum’s tough shot-making, Onyeka Okongwu’s two-way play, and Dyson Daniels’ defense, with just enough from Jalen Johnson, Josh Kuminga, and Nickel Alexander-Walker, were what pushed the eventual champions. On Sunday morning, the only team to take more than one game in a series against the Knicks got a little better. Shams Charania of ESPN reported that they were involved in a three-team deal that landed them former Thunder, Lu Dort, and former Maverick, Andrew Nehmbard, with Zach Risacher heading out.
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But in an Eastern Conference that looks more loaded and competitive than it has in years, does this move the needle? A top eight consisting of McCollum, Alexander-Walker, Daniels, Dort, Johnson, Okongwu, Aaron Wiggins, and Jock Landale is solid. And they are definitely better than they were last season. Dort provides them with even more defense, some much-needed toughness and physicality, and championship experience. He’ll provide some great leadership for a team that is still relatively young.
The Thunder are a smart team, though. They don’t simply trade guys away whom they deem irreplaceable. Dort has played a pivotal role in the Thunder’s long journey to becoming champions. But he’s also seen some decline. Some of that has come due to the rise of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. But it’s important to note that he’s now four years removed from his career season, when he averaged 17.2 PPG. Since then, his scoring average has gone down every season, and he’s coming off a season in which he shot just 38.5% from the field and just 34.4% from three on 5.4 attempts per game.
As things stand right now , a lot of their improvements come in areas they were already good in. Their defense will be amazing, and opposing guards and wings will have a difficult time trying to score against them. And in the regular season, they should be able to skate by without a real offensive star thanks to their balance and fast-break scoring.
What should concern Hawks fans, though, is that they haven’t really improved in the areas that held them back last season. Unless Daniels and Johnson take massive steps on the offensive side of the ball, they lack the consistent offensive firepower and spacing to make a deep run. McCollum will be another year older, and he’s not a full-time point guard. Johnson can operate as a point forward during the regular season, but we saw his lack of self-creation and a midrange game render him close to useless against Josh Hart and the Knicks’ defense. Alexander-Walker was shut down by Mikal Bridges. And the Hawks still have nobody to defend Karl-Anthony Towns.
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Now, the good thing for the Hawks and their fans is that they won’t be playing the Knicks every night. Not many teams have a physical big man who is as talented as Towns. Not many teams have the myriad of wing defenders that can slow down Johnson and Alexander-Walker like the Knicks do.
Atlanta should be able to perform a bit better in the regular season thanks to their offseason moves and because they’ll get to enjoy their first full season without Trae Young, with whom the Hawks were statistically worse last season. And they’ll be incredibly annoying to play against, even when their shots aren’t falling. But unless Johnson takes an incredibly large leap, this offense will struggle to generate good looks and have enough spacing when playing in the postseason.
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