Bleacher Report updated the Atlanta Hawks' power ranking in the NBA.
There has been a lot of roster turnover in the NBA lately.
The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets, the Miami Heat signed Klay Thompson, the Nuggets signed DeMar DeRozan and the Minnesota Timberwolves signed Jonathan Kuminga.
In the wake of all these moves, Bleacher Report updated its NBA power rankings and the Atlanta Hawks come in at No. 14.
"By the end of the postseason, the Atlanta Hawks had as many playoff wins (two) against the New York Knicks as the rest of the NBA (one)," Bleacher Report wrote. "And they followed that up with what appears to be a purely additive offseason.
"CJ McCollum and Jock Landale were both re-signed. Rookie Kingston Flemings brings some upside to the backcourt. And though Jonathan Kuminga is out, Atlanta added Aaron Wiggins and Devin Carter in a pair of salary dumps from other teams. Wiggins, specifically, is absolutely capable of replacing Kuminga's production. That and continued development from Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu could have Atlanta pushing for 50 wins next season."
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 moving forward 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.
