The Atlanta Hawks have been placed 15th in Yahoo Sports' preseason NBA power rankings. Analyst Kevin O'Connor slotted Atlanta between the Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets.
An NBA executive called Atlanta's summer "terrific," highlighting the importance of adding wings. The Hawks were active, signing CJ McCollum to an extension and re-signing Jock Landale. They also acquired Aaron Wiggins and Luguentz Dort from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Ryan Nembhard from the Dallas Mavericks. The 2026 draft brought in Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor, and Henri Veesaar.
"You can never have enough wings in today's NBA," the executive said. "That's why the Dort and Wiggins trades were huge." Departures included Jonathan Kuminga, Zaccharie Risacher, and Gabe Vincent. The team's core now features McCollum, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Onyeka Okongwu alongside the new additions.
The Hawks finished the 2025-26 season with a 46-36 record, winning the Southeast Division. Their playoff run ended in the first round against the eventual champion New York Knicks.
That playoff experience against the champs is something the team plans to build on. McCollum emphasized focusing on internal growth. "We can't control how other teams look," McCollum told HoopsHype. "For us, it's about focusing on improving our intangibles, understanding our schemes, and what Quin wants from us."
The Hawks are projected to start CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu. On paper, that's a strong defensive group with plenty of scoring options. The bench, now featuring Dort and Wiggins, appears much deeper and more versatile.
Atlanta hasn't won a playoff series since 2021, so the pressure is on to advance. The ranking of 15th suggests they are on the playoff bubble but have the pieces to compete. Their schedule kicks off on the road against the Orlando Magic. Fans can track the team's progress and view the full slate of games on our schedule page. The coming season will test if their terrific offseason translates into more postseason success.
