Hawks Roundtable: Early predictions for the Atlanta Hawks

Our final roundtable discussion is an early prediction for how many games the Atlanta Hawks will win next season. If you missed any of our previous roundtable discussions you can find them all in this StoryStream.

What is your early prediction for this Atlanta Hawks team?

(Kris Willis): It is still really early to make predictions since we haven’t seen this group together on the court. However, there are still some serious question marks and I think they are going to have a difficult time reaching the level they were at last season. Right now I am going to predict in the neighborhood of 40-44 wins and a 6th to 8th place finish in the East largely due to Mike Budenholzer and his tendency to get the most out of his roster.

(Brad Rowland): As the question states, it is early. There is some room for movement based on last-minute trade movement (including that of Atlanta, potentially), but as constructed, I’m seeing a team that wins 42-44 games. That is good for a lower-end playoff team most likely in the East, but it is a step back. For the fun of it, I’ll say the Hawks earn the 7th seed, but that is a “shot in the dark” pick at this early stage.

(Harry Lyles): With the Eastern Conference, you really don’t know. I think it’s safe to say that the Hawks won’t be competing with the Cavaliers, and I’m going to also predict the Celtics, Pacers, and Raptors finish ahead of them. So for me, a 5th seed would be a good year for them. I think everything below the four aforementioned teams is a crapshoot.

(Chris Herbert): Looking at the East, Cleveland still reigns supreme. The next tier of teams who might give Cleveland some issues are Boston and Toronto. After these three, the East becomes an all out brawl for the last 5 playoff spots. Milwaukee and Detroit look like teams who have the talent and coaching to significantly improve from last season. With all this in mind, I see the Hawks finishing the regular season somewhere in between the 6th and 8th playoff spot if the team stays relatively healthy. A regular season finish with between 42-44 wins seems reasonable.

(Thomas Jenkins): Given how close most of the East was last year, there’s a large variety of outcomes that the Hawks could fall into. Cleveland is the obvious favorite to finish in first place, but it’s not inconceivable that Atlanta could outplay Toronto or Boston and finish in second if everything goes right. I think the most likely outcome is closer to how last year played out though, with a win total in the mid-40s and the team somewhere in the middle of the playoff picture. It’s certainly possible that this team misses the playoffs if injuries strike, but I think it’s far more likely than not that a healthy Hawks team makes the playoffs once again.

(Preston Mott): I think it's a lot safer to assume the Hawks make the playoffs as a middle seed versus a top seed. As far as the rest of the east goes, I don't think any team joined the Cavaliers in that upper echelon. Cleveland is still the only real contender in the east. I predict the Hawks to win somewhere between 42-48 games next season.