Young and Murray can coexist together with Hawks
The reason: last season, Atlanta was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
With no clear favorite team in the East, Atlanta believes the Young-Murray duo can put them in championship contention.
Will they make it?
1- What’s keeping the franchise up at night?
The summer has been very positive for the Atlanta Hawks. After a long time searching for an ideal partner for Trae Young, the franchise seems to have found one in Dejounte Murray, who arrived from San Antonio in exchange for three first-round picks in future drafts.
While the price paid may seem steep, the truth is that they form one of the most talented young duos the league has to offer.
The questions to be answered internally these days have to do with how to improve the roster: Will it be a solution to move John Collins’ 23.5 million salary, or Clint Capela’s 18.2 million or Bogdan Bogdanovic’s 18 million? In the case of Collins, it should be noted that his name has been involved in numerous rumors about his possible departure, but we will have to see what decision management makes.
On the financial side, there may be some concern because, as the roster stands, the team would owe almost $2 million in luxury tax. However, avoiding this does not seem like a Herculean task.
2- What is the Hawks’ main unfinished business?
Seeing results next season and glimpsing a promising future with the Trae Young/Dejounte Murray duo.
The Hawks are one of the franchises with one of the most promising futures in the NBA thanks to the point guard duo they were able to put together in the offseason. With comparisons in mind, I think Young/Murray will soon take the Chris Paul/Devin Booker spot as one of the best point guard duos in the league. As long as CP3 remains active that spot on the podium will be taken by the Phoenix Suns stars.
On the other hand, for the Hawks to be among the top four in the East, management must tuck in the aforementioned duo and have a deep bench that can compete with the giant Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks, pending what the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets, the biggest unknowns in the conference, do.
Perhaps the center position requires the most attention from Atlanta’s front office. While Clint Capela is a good ‘5’, he is not on par with the Association’s front line big men and going forward, the Hawks need to be a more complete team and not just a couple of standout point guards.
3- Can Trae Young and Dejounte Murray coexist?
The Hawks think so, I’m not so sure. My first “red flag” was Murray’s social media feud with Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero. Please, be mature…..
Second, while Murray is an excellent defender (he led the NBA in steals with 2.0 per game), is he really worth three future first round picks?
Atlanta will become the first team in history to have a duo record at least 20 points and eight assists per game in a season.
On the San Antonio Spurs, Murray had the ball all game. Now, the story will be different. Young will have the ball.
According to Second Spectrum, Murray made 42.6 percent on catch-and-shoot opportunities during the last tournament. That percentage dropped to just 35.8% on three-pointers. So some adjustments will have to be made.
The two will form a ‘Big 3’ with John Collins looking to be one of the best teams in the East. But will it be enough in a conference with the Celtics, a healthy Bulls and the once-champion Bucks? I don’t know, Rick. It’s a risky experiment. Either it goes very well, or it goes very poorly. You have to give the Hawks credit for their bravery.
