While the Hawks‘ playoff run ended in disappointing fashion, it helped them gain a better understanding of the roster and where it needs to go moving forward, Lauren Williams writes for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Hawks have two first-round picks and plan on not skipping steps as they work to build the team into a contender. They also have financial flexibility, which could be used to bring in free agents or negotiate new deals with current players. They are unlikely to make a huge swing, but will continue to build piece by piece.
“We’re not a single player away from being what we want to be,” general manager Onsi Saleh said. “When I came here, the biggest thing was, how do we become sustainable?”
CJ McCollum is likely to return, as is Jonathan Kuminga, Williams writes, while players like Gabe Vincent, Keaton Wallace, Buddy Hield, and Tony Bradley she considers “a coin toss.”
We have more from around the Southeast Division:
- The Magic failed to break their 16-year playoff series win drought, falling in Game 7 to the Pistons after having a 3-1 series lead. They have to be wondering what would have happened had wing Franz Wagner not missed the final three games of the series, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The series showed that the team needs someone who organizes the offense, rather than the point-guard-by-committee approach they employed this season. Guard Desmond Bane also pointed to rebounding as an area that lost Orlando the series, as the Magic’s four losses were all games they were out-rebounded in, writes Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter video link).
- Magic star Paolo Banchero had an up-and-down series, and he issued a warning that the team is not at the level it needs to be after the Game 7 defeat. “Losing in the first round is not acceptable. That should be the attitude,” he said, per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter video link). “It shouldn’t be comfortable in the building. It should be everybody on their Ps and Qs feeling pressure to be great. I think that’s the mindset that needs to be there from top to bottom.”
- Much of Pat Riley‘s end-of-season press conference has been widely discussed, but some talking points deserve more attention, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Twice in the presser, Riley seemed to hint that head coach Erik Spoelstra needed to be more willing to allow young players to play through mistakes. “Even if it costs you during the regular season, you got to play it through their bad times, and you got to play it through their ups and downs,” he said. “I’ve read all the criticism of our young players, but nobody ever really… gives them the space to be young and to make mistakes, and not to be who you think they should be in three or four years…. They’re not the top five picks in the draft.” He also seemed to hint at the possibility of putting the Heat’s lottery pick, which projects to be 13th overall, on the table in a possible star deal, while adding that he doesn’t want to bring in someone he considers “damaged goods.”