Almost two months ago, the Hawks sat on the brink of ending the regular season, needing two wins in the Play-In Tournament to make it to the playoffs.
Now, the Hawks ready themselves to make their first playoff appearance in three years and first as a top-six seed since 2021.
According to a post from Kalshi Hoops on X just before the All-Star break, the Hawks had just a 40% chance of making the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Following the NBA All-Star break, ESPN’s Dean Oliver projected the Hawks would have to go 20-6 to earn that top six spot. The Hawks, who had a 26-30 record on Feb. 18, won 20 games, posting the best record in the Eastern Conference after the break.
They became the third team in NBA history to finish 10-plus games over .500 after being four or more games under .500 at the break, joining the 2020-21 Hawks and 2004-05 Nuggets.
Rotation chemistry
The Hawks’ roster changed dramatically from the beginning of the season. Of the 18 players (15 standard contracts and three two-way players) the team began the year with, seven players remain.
With all the midseason roster changes, the Hawks had to establish a rotation and chemistry quickly.
Two games after the return from the All-Star break, CJ McCollum was inserted into the starting lineup to maximize their most efficient lineup (+21.4). Second-year forward Zaccharie Risacher went to the bench, giving the Hawks’ second unit some much-needed size and rebounding.
Made up ground
The Hawks had one of the toughest schedules to open the season, with 31 of their first 56 games on the road. A home-heavy schedule against teams with records below .500 gave them the runway to iron out their play style, while their new team gelled.
Though some critics of the Hawks’ run to the playoffs downplay it because of the opponents, the majority of those wins came by 10 or more points. The Hawks won eight of those games by 20 or more points.
Appraising the veterans
The Hawks added seven veterans with at least four years of experience. Four of those players boast playoff experience.
McCollum, as mentioned, moved to the Hawks’ starting lineup, while the Hawks have leaned on Gabe Vincent off the bench. Both McCollum and Vincent gave the Hawks more ball-handling and scoring.
The Hawks have tapped into McCollum’s ability to add stability to their offense, averaging 18.7 points per game since the trade.
They also bolstered their depth in the frontcourt with Jock Landale, as well as Jonathan Kuminga and Tony Bradley.
That veteran presence has added to the culture of accountability the Hawks began the season with.
Turned around defensive woes
The Hawks began the season as one of the league’s top defensive teams. That quickly changed in the second third of the season, where the team dropped to 17th in the NBA in defensive efficiency.
But the Hawks have returned to the top of the NBA, ranking 10th in defensive rating.
The Hawks’ strength on defense fueled their run after the All-Star break. In the 26 games, the Hawks had the second-best defensive rating behind only the league-leading Thunder.
The Hawks allowed 110.5 points per game after the All-Star break, the ninth fewest.
Unselfish basketball
When the Hawks returned from the All-Star break, they wanted unselfishness to define their style of play.
That has largely characterized how the Hawks have played this season, but especially in the final 26 games of the season.
The Hawks led the league in assists per game, averaging 30.1 per game. That number dipped to 29.3 after the break, but they had 30 or more assists in a franchise-record 46 games this season.
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