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2009-10 Atlanta Hawks Predictions

Written October 23, 2009 by Jack Jones

The Atlanta Hawks have made a steady improvement in each of the past five seasons and with some key additions and all the major pieces coming back, there is no reason to think they can’t make another jump from the 47 wins they racked up in 2009-10. The NBA odds makers don’t really seem to agree with me though, as the over/under win projections is at 44.5. Their betting lines to win the East stand at 25-to-1 while their chances to win the Finals are 50-to-1. If you are going to bet the NBA this year, then take a look at the $500 in FREE bonus money being offered by BetUS Sportsbook to our readers.

Backcourt

The Hawks should have one of the deepest backcourts in the league. Mike Bibby was resigned for three more years and he continues to impress with his 39% 3-point shooting, 14.9 points, and 5 assists per game. He is the veteran leader of this young and talented lineup. Joe Johnson will be the starting two guard and he seems to be entering the prime of his career. Last season he posted 21.4 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game, plus he is a good passer who hits his teammates when opponents focus their efforts on slowing him down. Jamal Crawford was brought in to come off the bench and he’s a prolific playmaker who scored 19.7 points per game a year ago. Jeff Teague was drafted out of Wake Forest should see his role increase as the season progresses.

Frontcourt

Josh Smith is a great athlete but the knock on him is he settles at time for outside shots instead of taking it hard to the rim. Last year he scored 15.6 points and grabbed 7.2 rebounds per game, but his sub-30% 3-point shooting hurt the team at times. At power forward is Marvin Williams, who spends quite a bit of time on the perimeter . He scored 13.9 points and grabbed 6.3 rebounds per game but hasn’t really lived up to his No. 2 draft position as of yet. Down low is Al Horford who is a big man who can run the floor, something the Hawks needed with their up-tempo style. He keeps getting better every year as last season he shot 53%, scored 11.5 points, and grabbed 9.3 rebounds per game.

Summary

The Hawks are a team you can get excited about with all of their young talent, but it will be a tall order to break through to the elite of the conference of the Cavs, Celtics, and Magic. The frontcourt is talented, but not very deep and not experienced enough to compete with the likes of the big men on the other three teams. This team is a year or two away from breaking through, so with my NBA predictions I think they finish second in the Southeast Division and make it to the second round of the playoffs again, but will be unable to push through.