5 Atlanta Hawks who need the All-Star Break the most

The Atlanta Hawks face one more game before the NBA All-Star break arrives, and it will be an interesting test for the team at Madison Square Garden. Atlanta has enjoyed some level of success against the New York Knicks this season, and Quin Snyder's bunch can extend their active winning streak to four games with a victory.

Still, the break is so close that players, coaches, and staffers around the NBA can almost taste it, and we explore a quintet of players from Atlanta's roster that really need the hiatus for various reasons.

Trae Young

This selection comes with an asterisk for one reason, and that is the reality that Trae Young no longer gets the extended break that most players get. On Monday, Young was selected as the injury replacement for Giannis Antetokounmpo, meaning that the 26-year-old guard will be making his fourth NBA All-Star appearance.

While it is fair to note that playing in the All-Star Game is not nearly as grueling as operating as the No. 1 option on a playoff hopeful, Young probably could use a full-fledged break, rather than a trip to San Francisco and a bunch of commitments. Of note, this is also true of No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, who has a full slate of activities at All-Star Weekend, even as he navigates the rigors of an 82-game schedule for the first time.

Young has been largely fantastic for the Hawks this season. He leads the NBA in assists, averaging 11.4 per game, and is the centerpiece of Atlanta's offense. While the Hawks have been kept afloat with a vastly improved defense this season, Young makes the team's defense-first personnel group work on the offensive end, and only Nikola Jokic has accounted for more points via scoring and assists than he has this season.

Why, then, does he need a break? Well, Young has been on the injury report for every single game for the Hawks since late November. Granted, there could be an element of pettiness from the organization after the Hawks were fined by the league for resting Young during an NBA Cup game, but Young actually is banged up, battling a variety of maladies throughout the season. At a bare minimum, him not having to play in a game for more than a week is good news for the Hawks, with the team badly needing Young to be healthy and at his best down the stretch.

Onyeka Okongwu

For the first time in his five-year career, Okongwu is the unquestioned starting center for the Hawks. Atlanta pulled the trigger on the switch from Clint Capela to Okongwu earlier this season and, while the team went on a losing streak as that move happened, Okongwu was not at fault. In fact, the 24-year-old has played quite well, and Okongwu unlocks an offensive element with his skill set that Capela cannot replicate. Okongwu remains at least somewhat limited on defense by his lack of size and middling rebounding for a center, but the Hawks like the looks they can create on the offensive side with Okongwu in the pivot.

At the same time, Okongwu has taken on a much larger workload in recent days. Over the last four weeks, Okongwu has appeared in all 16 games for Atlanta, averaging 28.5 minutes per contest. That is, quite easily, the busiest stretch of his career, and Okongwu has tailed off in the last three outings, averaging only 9.7 points on 44 percent field goal shooting. If nothing else, Okongwu could probably use a breather, especially given the reality that he has an injury history and this new role is taxing his body to a degree that he hasn't been forced to navigate until now.

Caris LeVert, Terance Mann, Georges Niang

The Hawks made waves when they dealt both De'Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline. The moves were seen as controversial, even if the early returns are fairly strong for Atlanta on the court, but the Hawks did acquire three real rotation players, all of whom are veterans who have participated in high-level playoff action. LeVert, Mann, and Niang are joining a team with more modest expectations for the 2024-25 season specifically, but they could be playing into late April or May once again.

Beyond that, there is the reality that these three gentlemen have been asked to uproot their lives and move ... during an NBA schedule that does not allow much room to breathe. There are basketball-related effects to being able to take nearly a week off, but for the trio of LeVert, Niang, and Mann, it would also be nice to be able to figure out the logistics of everyday life. The break is well-timed through that lens, and in addition to the time off, the Hawks might actually be able to hold a couple of "normal" practices that would allow these veterans to learn more about what Quin Snyder and Atlanta's coaching staff is looking for from them in the final part of the season.