The Atlanta Hawks are far from championship contenders, and they are probably not even as talented as they were a year ago, when they were bounced in the play-in tournament. But they finally realized they had to take a step backward in order to move forward, ripped the bandaid off by trading Dejounte Murray, and are building around a trio of young players that could potentially be building blocks for the future next to Trae Young.
Jalen Johnson
Jalen Johnson is the furthest along of the three and is fresh off signing a five-year, $150 million extension with the Hawks, which will kick in next season. His 2024-2025 campaign got off to a bit of a rocky start, and he hasn’t quite found his shot from behind the arc after shooting a career-high 35.5% from three-point range last season.
However, he’s really turned it around over his last six games, averaging 22.7 points on 50% shooting from the field to go along with 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists. Those are well beyond All-Star numbers, and Johnson is still just 22 years old.
Zaccharie Risacher
Nobody was quite sure what to expect from Zaccharie Risacher, the #1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, coming into the season. He wasn’t a typical top prospect. This was a notoriously weak draft class, where some even said having the #1 overall pick would cost a general manager his job, but the Hawks appear to have gotten a good one in the 19-year-old French wing.
Despite struggling with his shot through his first handful of games, Risacher flashed his basketball IQ on the offensive end of the floor, while his length and athleticism shined defensively. Then, Wednesday’s game against the Knicks happened, and we finally got a glimpse of what it will look like when it all comes together.
Risacher exploded for a career-high 33 points on 11-18 shooting, including 6-10 from deep. He also added seven rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a couple of blocks. Risacher is the complete package on both ends of the court. When the shots start falling consistently, he’s going to be a problem for the rest of the league.
Dyson Daniels
Daniels won’t get the same recognition as Johnson or Risacher, but he’s just as important because of his ability on the defensive end. He’s among the most active defenders in the NBA, leading the league in deflections per game with 6.4. For a team that has been absolutely abysmal defensively over the last several years, Dyson Daniels has a chance to become a mainstay in Atlanta’s starting lineup for years to come, as he’s a perfect complement to the offensive engine that is Trae Young in the backcourt.
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Photo: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
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