The Atlanta Hawks added many players this offseason to an already young and upcoming roster, and it now appears that the Hawks are potential playoff contenders. Atlanta’s roster boasts a wealth of promising young talent that rivals the rest of the NBA, and it has acquired valuable pieces that can help the team take the next step.
Now that the NBA season is less than a month away, it is a good time to take a deeper dive into where the Hawks rank as far as starting lineups compared to other teams in the league. Next up, the Miami Heat.
Apr 18, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) shoots over Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
This matchup is the best one on this list and here’s why.
Both Young and Herro are coming off All-Star appearances a season ago and whenever they go up against each other they seem to play with a bit more physicality. Young averaged 17 points and 12 assists in four matchups and Herro averaged 24.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds with the season series being 2-2.
While this past season was a more even back-and-forth between the two teams, the two players mentioned have had slightly different individual careers, as Young has been a four-time All-Star and All-NBA player compared to Herro, who made his first All-Star appearance this past season and won Sixth Man of the Year four seasons ago.
Advantage: Young
Apr 18, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) passes in front of Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Norman Powell has joined the Miami Heat after nearly making his first All-Star with the Los Angeles Clippers. This move was made in part to help both Herro and Adebayo, as the Heat lost Jimmy Butler last season via trade and lacked a third scoring option, leading to a first-round sweep by the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, Dyson Daniels will also continue to get better as he finished in the top three in the Defensive Player of the Year voting and won the Most Improved Player of the Year award in the process of setting historic milestones.
While Daniels has made many strides forward, the overall lead would be given to Powell due to his more well rounded game and veteran experience but Daniels still isn’t far behind.
Advantage: Powell
Apr 18, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) shoots over Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Risacher is coming off not only a solid rookie season but a solid improvement showing in EuroBasket play this summer. Risacher has shown the ability to get to the basket, shoot the three-ball, and play defense on all five positions this summer at a high level, which are some things that he tended to struggle with in his rookie season. In Risacher’s rookie season, he averaged 12.6 points and 3.6 rebounds on 45/35/71% shooting splits.
Wiggins was a huge addition for the Heat in the Jimmy Butler trade and he did well on the offensive end for the last part of the season and helped the Heat get into the playoffs. His veteran experience gives him the edge over Risacher.
Advantage: Wiggins
Dec 28, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) passes the ball to forward Jalen Johnson (1) under Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Adebayo is a consistent near double-double machine that works hard on both ends of the court. When playing against Atlanta last season, he averaged 15.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in four games. This season, however, it will be interesting to see how Adebayo performs without Butler on his team for a full season, with a likely more offensive output as he will have more scoring opportunities. Overall, Adebayo has made an All-Defensive NBA team five times and been an All-Star three times in his eight-year NBA career.
Johnson is showing signs of promise, as he averaged 18.9 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 5.0 APG while shooting 50% from the field and 31% from three last season before having a season ending torn labrum injury. With some flaws still in his game, Johnson will likely be a slight bit behind or even right there with Adebayo, but without a full, consistent winning season to show, for now, Adebayo holds the lead.
Advantage: Adebayo
Apr 18, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) shoots at the basket behind Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The Hawks have two centers who can provide size down in the paint and cause problems on both offense and defense.
Porzingis and Okongwu give different matchup problems for Miami, specifically, Porzingis floor spacing and both interior and perimeter defense. Okongwu, provides good on ball defense, but isn’t as consistent as a scorer as Porzingis but can still be serviceable when spacing the floor and the Hawks can provide matchup problems with either player starting for them.
Ware, however, is a solid, versatile type of big man that is useful mostly around the basket due to his size for shot blocking and easy scoring opportunities inside the paint. In his rookie season, Ware averaged 9.3 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 1.1 blocks, which is a solid stat line for a rookie big man who has shown he can be relied upon but is still a work in progress compared to Atlanta’s big men.
Advantage: Hawks
Based on the results, while close, the Hawks edge out the Miami Heat in terms of the starting lineup and overall team. The Miami Heat will likely be competing for a Play-In Tournament spot, while Atlanta will likely be in the playoffs based on the offseason moves that both teams have made.