The Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic square off on Tuesday with the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference on the line. Neither team would necessarily be expected to upset the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, but in the same breath, there is a substantial difference between a young team garnering the experience of a real playoff series compared to an early exit in the Play-In.
As such, the stakes are significant, even with the losing team gaining a second chance with a matchup against either the Miami Heat or the Chicago Bulls on Friday. In addition to the intriguing stakes, this is also an interesting situation in that the Hawks and Magic have seen a lot of each other in recent days. In fact, the Hawks and Magic met in Game 82, even if none of the regulars saw the floor for either team.
Prior to that, Atlanta and Orlando met exactly a week ago at Kia Center in something of a true Play-In preview. That game virtually decided the Southeast Division race, with the Magic prevailing to all but clinch the No. 7 spot heading into the Play-In, and the Hawks fell short in multiple ways. That included poor ball security (18 turnovers) and an inability to match the overall physicality of Orlando. As such, Quin Snyder's team has a lot to clean up, but there are also individual players that Atlanta simply needs more from in comparison to previous meetings with Orlando.
Dyson Daniels
Dyson Daniels has enjoyed an incredible season in his maiden voyage with the Hawks, including legitimate candidacies for Most Improved Player and Defensive Player of the Year. However, he has not had his best games against Orlando, averaging only 11.7 points on 42.9 percent shooting with a combined 0-5 from 3-point distance across three meetings. Daniels did have his most productive scoring game in the third meeting last week, but he also committed four turnovers with only three assists in that game, and Daniels has not been able to find his full footing against Orlando.
The Magic are also likely to throw the kitchen sink at Trae Young on Tuesday, with could open space for Daniels to attack the rim and also to serve as a more primary ball-handler at times. Ball security will be paramount for Atlanta, and Daniels plays a part in that. On the defensive end, the Hawks can (and likely will) load up on Paolo Banchero, but Daniels is expected to be on an island against Franz Wagner, which also places the spotlight on him.
Zaccharie Risacher
Much like Daniels, Risacher has enjoyed a very strong season within any sort of reasonable expectation. He is a legitimate candidate for Rookie of the Year, and no first-year player has better numbers than Risacher over the final two-thirds of the season. With that said, Risacher has scuffled against Orlando in four meetings, averaging just 9.0 points on 37.5 percent shooting from the field in 16.7 minutes.
More than anything, that workload needs to rise on Tuesday, as Risacher is one of the only forwards with length for the Hawks in a matchup in which that is badly needed. Risacher did shoot the ball well against Orlando, making eight of his fourteen 3-point attempts, but he appeared in just 34.9 percent of total minutes in the four meetings. Last week in the "Play-In preview," Risacher was limited by foul trouble and, while Snyder was arguably too conservative with his minutes, the first-year forward may simply need to force his way onto the floor with high-level play.
Mo Gueye
At various times during the season, it would've been unthinkable to have Gueye on this list for a postseason game, but his skill set is irreplaceable on the current roster. Since the start of March, Gueye has been a fixture in the rotation, averaging 17.3 minutes per game, and his rim protection, size, and athleticism could unlock Atlanta's defense in this matchup.
Onyeka Okongwu was deployed as the primary defender on Paolo Banchero in the previous meeting, which made logical sense given the absence of Jalen Johnson for Atlanta. However, Okongwu is usually the back-line rim protector for Atlanta and, with Gueye in foul trouble, the Hawks had trouble on the defensive glass and in rim deterrance. Gueye's offensive limitations are certainly evident, but if he can stay on the floor using his ability to crash the offensive glass, Atlanta will be in a much better situation on defense.