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Atlanta Hawks: Can Team Win Title Without a Superstar?

By Matthew Schoettler

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The Atlanta Hawks don’t have an undeniable superstar on their roster. Over the past five seasons, each team to win an NBA title had at least one on its team. Can the Atlanta Hawks win a title without boasting one of the ten best players in the NBA on its squad?

From 2009 to 2015, no team won a title without having a go-to superstar on the roster; moreover, no team even made the NBA Finals without a superstar. From Dirk Nowitzki to LeBron James, each team competing for a championship had the perennial superstar to turn to in the clutch. Some teams even had a duo or trio of options.

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Looking at the 2015-2016 Atlanta Hawks roster, no superstar jumps off the page and looks like he could shoulder the load to the NBA Finals. However, the Atlanta Hawks do have a nice core of players that should allow the team to win during the regular season. Those players include: Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap, and Al Horford, but strong front-court play has not allowed a team to win a title in a while.

Although the San Antonio Spurs had a strong front-court when they won it all two years ago, they had the compliments of Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard to help out. The one obvious answer to the Atlanta Hawks making a title-push is that Jeff Teague must transform into a superstar. As of now, he in no Stephen Curry, nor is he Russell Westbrook. In short, the Atlanta Hawks need to transform into the San Antonio Spurs. 

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The Atlanta Hawks compare best to the San Antonio Spurs, but Mike Budenholzer is no Gregg Popovich. We should note that Budenholzer performed extremely well with the chips he inherited in Atlanta; however, is there room for improvement? Or have the Hawks reached their ceiling? Winning 60 games last season is nothing to scoff at, but maybe the team should pace themselves during the regular season to have longevity during the postseason.

The 2015-2016 Atlanta Hawks present a unique situation for Budenholzer; they have the starting rotation that can compete with nearly every other team in the Eastern Conference. Moreover, they went out and added depth to their roster (i.e. Tiago Splitter and Tim Hardaway Jr.). The depth of the Atlanta Hawks roster will help the team with matchups over the course of the season.

LeBron James paves the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. He is the common denominator over the past five seasons, making it to the finals every year (with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat). One problem moving forward is that the Atlanta Hawks lost DeMarre Carroll, the team’s x-factor on both ends of the floor. 

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Since the Cavaliers are a sure-bet to make the Eastern Conference Finals, with the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving, the Hawks have a tough task of matching up. This is where the idea of having a superstar on the roster can propel the team forward. When the going gets tough, who can the Atlanta Hawks turn to carry the team down the stretch in crunch-time of important playoff games? Jeff Teague?

Expect the Hawks to compete at a high level this season, but this season might have the same outcome as last year. One counter argument is that by not having financial obligations to a max-player deal, the Hawks can sign better depth to help the team. Hawks’ fans will have to wait-and-see what happens this season, but making it to the NBA Finals seems a little farfetched.

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