After almost a week away, the Atlanta Hawks gathered for practice on Wednesday ahead of the team's first post-break game against the Orlando Magic on Thursday. In advance of that game and the final third of the 2024-25 season, we can take a look at three news items of note.
The Hawks still have an open roster spot
Earlier this week, we touched on each of Atlanta's Two-Way players, evaluating Keaton Wallace, Dom Barlow, and Daeqwon Plowden for what they have done over the first two-thirds of the 2024-25 season. That is relevant in that it has been about 10 days since the Hawks cleared a roster spot by waiving Bones Hyland, and Atlanta basically has three options when evaluating the use of that flexibility.
First, the Hawks could simply sign a player that is not currently under contract. That could be an external free agent, either on a 10-day or a rest-of-season contract. That could also be a player from their own G League system like 2024 second-round pick Nikola Djurisic or Kevon Harris. Either way, it's an option.
Second, the Hawks could also unilaterally convert one of their Two-Way players or negotiate with any of them on a team-friendly, multi-year contract. Only the conversion can be done without the player's input, but Dom Barlow is widely viewed as a potential part of Atlanta's future and Keaton Wallace could reach the 50-game cap for Two-Way players by the end of the season.
Lastly, the Hawks could simply hold tight and leave the spot open. They have a legal roster already, so there is no urgency, but Atlanta is not particularly close to the luxury tax line after their pre-deadline moves, so using the spot in some beneficial way from a basketball standpoint would make sense.
The not-so-popular NBA All-Star Game format
Trae Young was a late addition to the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, replacing the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo. When the reserve selections were initially announced, Young was the biggest snub in either conference, but sanity eventually prevailed and he made his fourth All-Star appearance. However, most of the attention around Sunday's festivities stemmed from negativity around the new format and, in particular, the way the action was presented.
In speaking to the media after Sunday's All-Star events concluded, Young shared his own displeasure with how it unfolded.
"To be honest, I didn't like it at all," Young said, via Michael C. Wright of ESPN. "I didn't like the breaks. The games were so short. Obviously, we can score. So, they're trying to, I feel like, trying to extend the game, extend the TV time with the breaks and things like that."
Young isn't alone here, as the extended breaks were almost universally panned by diehard NBA observers. The final featured an 11-1 run to begin the game, followed by an extended timeout that saw almost 20 (!) minutes pass before play resumed.
Ironically, the level of play when the basketball was actually happening seemed to be higher than in previous years. Young provided a spark in his team's first game, generating four points and a game-high five assists, and he teamed with Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kyrie Irving, and others to bring some life to the action. Still, there will be a lot of discussion about how to "fix" things, and Young seems to be on board with yet another change.
Important games out of the break
As of the All-Star break, no team in the NBA has played more road games than the Atlanta Hawks. As such, the Hawks have a home-heavy run at State Farm Arena in the second "half" of the campaign, including 10 of the team's first 12 games. With that said, the schedule is anything but breezy at the outset, particularly when it comes to the playoff race.
Atlanta's first nine (!) games after the break are against teams currently projected to make the postseason. That is notable enough on its own, but the Hawks also open the post-break run with the first four games against Orlando, Detroit, and Miami (twice).
In an interesting twist, those four teams are separated by three total games in the standings and, of course, the Hawks are directly competing with them for playoff positioning. Atlanta also has three remaining games against Miami and three remaining games against Orlando, all of which will have a direct impact on the Southeast Division race.
Overall, Atlanta faces the eighth-easiest remaining schedule in the NBA, at least according to opponent winning percentage. However, the more favorable games against Utah, Charlotte, Brooklyn, etc. will have to wait until this initial burst concludes.