ESPN thinks the Atlanta Hawks will go 47-35 next season.
The Atlanta Hawks got a "play-in group" 2026-27 season projection from ESPN.
ESPN thinks the Hawks will go 47-35 and be the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference next season.
If Atlanta does get the sixth seed, the team won't have to be in the NBA play-in tournament.
The Hawks had a busy offseason. They signed CJ McCollum to an extension, re-signed Jock Landale, acquired Devin Carter from the Sacramento Kings, Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Ryan Nembhard from the Dallas Mavericks and drafted Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar in the 2026 draft.
Atlanta lost to the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, but remember, the Hawks were the only team to beat the Knicks twice in the 2026 postseason.
That shows how good the Hawks will be moving forward.
Atlanta's core is Dort, Wiggins, McCollum, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu.
Johnson is the new franchise player in Atlanta in the post-Trae Young era. It will be fascinating to see if the Hawks win a championship with Johnson leading the way.
A talented two-way swingman, Johnson had a terrific 2025-26 season. He averaged 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game and recorded 49 double-doubles and 13 triple-doubles in 72 games.
Atlanta is expected to start McCollum, Alexander-Walker, Daniels, Johnson and Okongwu next season. The Hawks haven't won a playoff series since 2021.
Let's see if that changes in 2027.
"I don’t compare ourselves to others," McCollum told HoopsHype about the Hawks' future. "Right now, it’s about focusing on getting better individually and collectively. We can’t control how other teams look. You can control your approach to the game. Teams will get better and evolve.
"For us, it’s about focusing on improving our intangibles, understanding our schemes, and what Quin wants from us. Then, building on the momentum and experience that we had playing in the playoffs in a big environment on the road and in our home games. We played against a team that won the NBA Finals. All those things help you as you go into a new season."
The Hawks begin the 2026-27 regular season on the road against the Orlando Magic.
