Four things to watch in the 2021-22 season as Trae Young's Hawks look to build on their conference finals run

Atlanta vastly exceeded expectations last season, but can they do it again?

So… the Atlanta Hawks nearly made the NBA Finals three months ago. There's really no other way we can start this than saying that, no writerly flourish on one of the most surprising things to happen in one of the most surprising seasons in NBA history. They were right there! Tied 2-2 against a Milwaukee team missing Giannis Antetokounmpo! If Brook Lopez hadn't turned into Hakeem Olajuwon in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, we might be talking about the defending NBA champion Atlanta Hawks. The Vegas odds of that happening before the season were 100-to-1. 

What happened in Atlanta isn't supposed to happen. Stars aren't supposed to make a title push in their first playoff run. The basketball world expected the Hawks to earn a bottom-four seed and lose in the first round because that's what basketball history has conditioned it to believe. You stay in the lottery for a few years, take your early playoff lumps, and then the real story begins. Young said "no thanks, I think I'm gonna end The Process actually," and for all of the credit that Atlanta's offseason spending spree got in helping him do it, remember that Rajon Rondo was gone by the playoffs and that Bogdan Bogdanovic was battling injuries for most of the postseason. De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish were hurt as well. Young nearly stole a championship with half of a roster. 

So the question then becomes… now what? There's this temptation to write off Atlanta's run as a fluke. There's something to that. Team growth isn't linear. The Hawks might be better than they were a year ago, but still lose a round or two earlier because of circumstances or luck or any number of a billion other factors. That's probably the consensus… but do you really want to bet against Young after what you saw in the playoffs? That's just one of many storylines headlining the 2021-22 Hawks season.