It's felt like decades have passed since Trae Young made Madison Square Garden freeze over. Four years after that legendary series, Young is one of the two players left from that roster still in an Atlanta Hawks uniform.
Since 2021, the Hawks have felt like they were in a holding pattern, waiting for the other shoe to drop. What started as what many thought was the climb of Trae Young to all-time legend has seemed more like a distant peak for a player who has hit an absurdly high, and yet deeply flawed, ceiling. And as their best player has gone, so have the Hawks, who have been a literal play-in team every single season since Giannis took them out in the Conference Finals.
And if you're outside of Atlanta, the smoldering embers of 'what could have been' look like they're slowly morphing into a dumpster fire of 'what could be'. The team's present and future face is still in a contract battle. They're adding an over-the-hill complimentary star who's more big name flash than impactful 1B-style sizzle. Atlanta's showing all of the telltale signs of a No Man's Land dweller, slowly spiraling around the drain towards an inevitable rebuild.
And yet.
The Hawks' savior isn't Trae Young
In a bizarre twist of fate, Atlanta's 2026 campaign doesn't rest on Trae Young's shoulders. Yes, he remains their best player by far and the engine of their offense, but we know what we're getting from him already. Young hasn't averaged under 24 points and 9 assists per game since his rookie year. The man's game is as easy to pencil in as any.
But the Hawks' biggest weakness lies in something that Young can't help. Their defense is arguably the worst in the league, allowing the 21st most, or worse, points scored in every season since 2021. In fact, their defense is so porous that their top five offense over five years isn't enough to get them any meaningful distance above .500.
And no, no moves in 2025 have, or will, help to address that issue. But their youngest names are growing into the answers that Atlanta has been desperate for. Dyson Daniels (All-Defense First Team, 4th in DPOY voting) and Jalen Johnson are two-way superstars in the making, judging by their current trajectories. At 21 and 23 respectively, these two have their whole careers ahead of them, and are already shaping up to provide both the scoring and defensive help that a Trae Young-led team would absolutely need.
And in admittedly limited sample sizes, these two are already among the best Hawks on the less glamorous end. Daniels and Johnson led all Hawks playing major minutes in defensive and box plus/minus, and place top five on the roster for defensive and total win shares. Another year of development from them (and a summer to fully recover in Johnson's case) makes the Hawks dangerous.
And that's not even talking about the other holdout from Atlanta's 2021 Cinderella run! Onyeka Okongwu has emerged as one of Atlanta's primary anchors, even comfortably outpacing Young in total win shares to lead the team. He is a massive lob threat and rim runner, respectable on defense, and still a couple of years away from his prime.
Forget Kristaps Porzingis, because Atlanta's offseason wasn't about him. It was about developing those three names, along with Rookie of the Year silver medalist Zaccharie Risacher. Don't look now, but while fans have been fawning over the Pacers, Pistons, and Knicks for their huge thrusts into the NBA limelight, the Hawks have been slowly rebuilding in the silence of No Man's Land.
And if you're looking for a perfect dark horse bet to make a deep run in 2026, look no further than Atlanta's terrifying core.