7+ hour, 51+ min ago (399+ words) Zaccharie Risacher has had a regrettable start to the season. Through his first 15 games of the season, Risacher averaged 11.3 points on 29.2% from deep and 44.2% from the field. Each of these is a regression from his rookie stats. When combined with the strange, unexplained minutes restriction levied on him, Risacher had very few positives to take away. In his past two games, however, Risacher has come alive. Despite getting trounced by the Wizards on Tuesday night, Risacher dropped 17 points on 4/9 from three and 2/3 from two in an overall smooth offensive performance. He also tallied two steals and three blocks against the Wizards, building upon his defensive improvement this season. In the following game against the Cavaliers, Risacher had 14 points on 2/3 from deep and a perfect 3/3 from two. This included the game-winning corner three, where Risacher was contested and off-balance after a…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (274+ words) The Atlanta Hawks have laid the path to success this season: keep doing what they're doing while adding Trae Young to the mix." But nothing the Hawks are doing must end upon Trae's return. Well, that is besides their weak halfcourt offense when Jalen Johnson sees the bench. While he is still a negative defensive presence, Young's weakness in this regard is not a death sentence to the team's overall defense." The Hawks have been forced to look to a new identity in Young's absence. After all, this squad has no chance of winning through pure individual dominance. Instead, the team has turned to an egalitarian approach on both ends of the floor, taking easy buckets and limiting those opportunities on the other end. The Hawks have stormed to an 8-3 record since losing Young. While this has been against a relatively…...

3+ week, 6+ day ago (408+ words) The Atlanta Hawks lost their second game of the season to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night, 109-117, moving to 3-4 on the season. This was the team's second game without Trae Young, who sprained his MCL last Wednesday. The Cavaliers were also shorthanded, playing without Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. The Cavaliers' complete lack of offensive identity without Donovan Mitchell on the floor allowed the Hawks to stay in the game. Still, the Hawks' weaknesses without Young were too much to overcome. The Hawks experienced a slow offensive start to the game, committing an abysmally high nine turnovers in the first quarter. Many of these turnovers were just foolish mistakes, including slipping on the floor and embarrassingly lazy passes. Cleveland capitalized on this opportunity, dropping 27 fastbreak points as Atlanta's transition defense struggled yet again. Shooting woes also bit the team in…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago (276+ words) The Atlanta Hawks will not be leaning into the depths of their youthful rotation anytime soon after they assigned five players to their College Park Skyhawks roster today: Asa Newell, N'Faly Dante, Nikola Djurisic, Caleb Houstan, and Jacob Toppin. The Skyhawks kick off their season in Friday's G League Tip-Off Tournament." None of these players have scratched the rotation as of yet. Even Dante, who was expected to receive extended playing time as the third-string center, could only muster a measly 6 minutes a game during Kristaps Porzingis's two-game absence due to illness." He played well against a similarly roughed-up Thunder team, notching his first double-double of his career with 12 points and 10 boards on 3/5 shooting from deep. While these were quite the performances, Snyder clearly does not trust Newell yet; he has played over four minutes just once. Dante and Newell…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago (392+ words) The Hawks are absolutely rolling midway through turkey month. The most recent victory against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City revealed a number of beneficial aspects of the Hawks' loaded roster, not least of which being the new dynamic frontcourt duo of Onyeka Okongwu and Jalen Johnson meshing extremely well together. In fact, the duo played at such a high level in Salt Lake that they broke a franchise record not exceeded since October 24, 1967, last held by Hawks teammates Lenny Wilkens and Joe Caldwell. Johnson and Okongwu became only the second pair of Atlanta Hawks in franchise history to record 30 points and 10 rebounds at the same time in a regular season game - and they did so on extreme efficiency and all in the midst of a much-needed hard-fought road victory. While Wilkens and Caldwell needed a combined 92 minutes to…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (221+ words) The Hawks could be the two seed in a week if they can continue to handle business without Trae Young. Heading into a match against the hobbled San Antonio Spurs, the Atlanta Hawks have an opportunity to make a run for the second seed in the East. Atlanta's next three games are against New Orleans, Charlotte, and Washington. Fun fact: these three teams have a combined seven wins, two fewer than the Hawks. While anything is possible, particularly against the hot-and-cold Hornets, the team will be the favorite in all three games. If the Hawks can continue to handle lesser competition, they'll pull another four-game win streak. The Eastern Conference is led by the Detroit Pistons, who hold an impressive 13-2 record. After Detroit, the gap between the second-seed Raptors and the fifth-seed Hawks is one game " why can't Atlanta claim…...

2+ week, 2+ day ago (272+ words) The Atlanta Hawks have started their 2025-26 campaign with a rollercoaster of emotions. Through the first 13 games, the Hawks have climbed to an 8-5 record, but they started just 1-3 and have had some concerning weaknesses. Kristaps Porzingis and Zaccharie Risacher have already missed time, and more notably, Trae Young's MCL sprain will sideline him for another month. Atlanta entered this season with a renewed sense of optimism, but with over 15% of the season already behind them, injuries and inconsistent performances have tempered that hope. This result has left Atlanta in a spot they're all too familiar with: good enough to compete, but not good enough to contend. But there is still a full season for the new team to gel and for tweaks to be made. Atlanta's rim defense has been a weakness at times, but the team has the size and…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago (195+ words) Jalen Johnson could make his first All-Star appearance this season, but only if he addresses a major concern. Johnson has had an excellent start to the season on the offensive end, and with Young sidelined for at least a month with an MCL sprain, Johnson has been thrust into the spotlight. ESPN recognized his potential as a star in their latest first-time All-Star predictions. But Johnson's defense this year has been abysmal, which is truly inexplicable when looking at his track record. He's never been an elite perimeter stopper as a one-on-one guy, but he has historically used his length and athletic ability to tally steals, blocks, deflections, and other general chaos on the defensive end." He still looks to be the same athlete who has improved as a decision-maker on offense. This leads me to believe that the early…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago (296+ words) The New Orleans Pelicans fired head coach Willie Green today after a truly horrible start to the season. The Pelicans are 2-10 through 12 games and lie at the very bottom of the Western Conference standings. They have disappointed on both ends, particularly on defense, despite having a pair of brilliant perimeter defenders in Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones. This was the right move " Green had lost the locker room and is partly to blame for the team's defensive struggle. This, unfortunately, is bad news for the Atlanta Hawks, who traded for the rights to New Orleans' unprotected first round pick this year. There are two ways to view this move. On the one hand, Green's firing officially confirms that there is real dysfunction in New Orleans. With Green out, however, the Pelicans probably have an improved season outlook moving forward....

5+ day, 21+ hour ago (358+ words) The Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans will forever be intertwined. The Hawks have fleeced the Pels in two consecutive offseason trades, first managing to trade Dejounte Murray for Dyson Daniels and picks. This trade saved the Hawks by giving Trae Young his ideal backcourt pairing and giving the team reason to believe in him. The Hawks doubled down by trading the rights to draft Derik Queen for Asa Newell and a coveted 2026 NOP first round pick. While Queen is an exciting young talent, the trade has already become infamous, as the 2026 pick could be a franchise-altering asset." Of course, the Hawks and Pelicans are not the only Atlanta-New Orleans rivals; the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints are bitter rivals as well. FanSided's own Brad Rowland summed up the feelings of Falcons and Hawks fans heading into Sunday's head-to-head…...