00:00Lauren, before we get into the particulars, I know the way it ended wasn't pretty, but
00:04I think even the most pessimistic Hawks fan has to be pretty pleased with the way that
00:09they turned that season around and found a few hidden gems that really could be difference
00:14makers on this team next year and for years to come.
00:18Absolutely.
00:19I mean, you have, you know, back-to-back most improved players in both, you know, Dyson
00:24Daniels in 2025 or 2024, excuse me.
00:29And then, you know, obviously Nikhil Alexander-Walker this year.
00:33So it's a really good sign for that Hawks coaching staff, especially because it shows
00:41that they're willing to, you know, take guys and let them play freely, let them develop
00:47into some sort of a system.
00:49And now we just have to see them sort of apply that to the younger players on this
00:55roster and your Mo Gays, your Zachary researches, and see how the coaching staff can kind of
01:00turn these guys' career around, especially when expectations were high for a guy like
01:04Zachary.
01:05What did you make of the mission statement?
01:07What were the guys saying, the players and the coaching staff at the end of the season
01:12presser when they were cleaning out the lockers, what did they view as sort of the goals going
01:17into the offseason and for next year?
01:20Yeah, I mean, I think they took the loss incredibly hard.
01:25You have Jalen Johnson saying that he vows never to have this feeling again.
01:29Nikhil Alexander-Walker talking about, you know, going back into the laps, if you will,
01:35and working and improving and finding ways to, you know, be successful, not just in the
01:41regular season, but in the postseason.
01:43I think the biggest thing that they saw is, and honestly, the biggest messaging was just
01:48that they weren't ready for the physicality, and this team was physical during the regular
01:53season, but I think they saw how different officiating is in the postseason.
01:58And, you know, you kind of look at this team, especially taking the Knicks to six game, and
02:03then the Knicks playing the Sixers in the next round and sweeping them.
02:08So I think you have to have a little bit of a moral victory in terms of just that this
02:15Hawks
02:15team was able to sort of exceed expectations a bit, especially with how many different iterations
02:22of the roster.
02:23There were only eight guys being on the roster from the start of the season till the end.
02:29And so I think the biggest thing is that the team's mission is to just get better, continue
02:35to develop internally, which is obviously not something that we're going to see until,
02:40you know, we're midway through the season if we see the fruits of that labor.
02:45When it comes to Jalen Johnson, who you just mentioned, obviously, you know, Hawks fans were
02:50clamoring to see the guy that we all saw in the regular season.
02:53And it's not like he didn't show up at all.
02:55He still had some decent performances, but certainly not the guy that was, you know,
02:59an all-star and leader of the team in the regular season.
03:02Do you think he was aware of that?
03:05Do you think he owned up to that?
03:06You mentioned him saying, you know, he vows to never allow this to happen again.
03:10Do you think that's a sign that he acknowledged that maybe the team needed a little bit more
03:15from him?
03:17Absolutely.
03:17I think Jalen, you know, is a pretty self-aware guy.
03:20And I think the thing that we have to remember is that this was his first playoffs where he
03:26is the guy.
03:28His usage is up.
03:29He went from playing about eight minutes per game in the, you know, first two playoff
03:34appearances he had in his first couple of years in the league to now playing 30 plus minutes.
03:41I mean, you have to think about that.
03:42That's a huge jump.
03:43Um, you know, you look at somebody like Kate Cunningham who went to the playoffs his first
03:49year and now is absolutely putting the Pistons on his back this year.
03:53I think it's just that these guys have to go through that experience and sort of feel
03:58what the playoffs are like in order to know what is to be expected.
04:03Um, and it's not to say that, you know, they're not professional.
04:06I know that there's going to be, you know, a little bit of a change between the regular
04:10season and the playoffs, but it's one thing to sort of hear the talk about it.
04:16And then it's another thing to actually experience it and especially experience it against a team
04:21like the Knicks that's expected, you know, especially after that sweep of the Sixers to
04:27win it all in terms of making it out of the East.
04:31So I do think that Jalen is pretty self-aware and he understands that the team does is going
04:37to expect more of him, especially with some young guys coming in next season.
04:42A guy that also we saw his role expand greatly, double O this year, really adding versatility
04:48to his game with the deep ball.
04:50Do you think that's going to be something they implement more of going forward as a staple
04:54of his career or was that something that he sort of found and used as, as a weapon
04:59out of necessity, it was interesting to watch, Lauren.
05:03No, I mean, I think that's something that they tasked him with.
05:05I think that he understands that Quinn Snyder's system absolutely depends on being jumpers in
05:11your arsenal and it's what burned him minutes over Clint Capella, you know, a couple of years
05:17ago.
05:18And so I think that's something that they're absolutely going to continue to exploit.
05:22It's something that he's added in his bag.
05:24And the fact that he's continued to have confidence in that shot is something that you have to
05:29take advantage of.
05:30I mean, you don't have a stretch big on your floor and not use it.
05:34I think that's something that, you know, they could potentially be looking at in the draft.
05:38Maybe who knows if, you know, somebody falls to that spot, they're big that can shoot the
05:42ball.
05:43And, you know, Antti Saleh says that they're going to take the best available player to them
05:46and that could be a big, who knows?
05:49And so it's good to have two bigs on the floor.
05:53We saw it with Jock Landale as well.
05:55It's good to have guys who have as many versatile skills in their bag as possible.
06:01I know it's got to be a little disappointing and it would never be admitted publicly, but,
06:06you know, falling to number eight in the draft is probably not where the Hawks, you know,
06:11had hoped or envisioned if everything broke in their favor.
06:14But I will say this, Lauren, in starting to, you know, kick the tires around and do my
06:18research it, it seems like there's still going to be a pretty good player available,
06:21whether that's, you would assume it's going to be either a point guard or a big.
06:26Yeah.
06:27I mean, that's the thing that this, that's amazed me about this draft class.
06:31And especially if an analyst talk about it is that this is one of the deeper draft classes
06:36in the last, you know, 30 years.
06:38I mean, that's huge.
06:39Obviously the Hawks would have loved to have been in the top four, especially considering
06:44where the Pelicans fell.
06:46But I mean, that's kind of just, you know, the, the luck of the Hawks, right.
06:50Is that they're always just this close for whatever reason, but yeah, they're just going
06:57to have to, to make do with what's there.
06:59And I think that, you know, we've seen them do a good job in terms of their homework in
07:04the last, you know, last draft in terms of Asa Newell and the potential that he has
07:09to, you know, grow into.
07:13So I think it'll be great to see, you know, what Ansi Saleh and his scouting staff have
07:19in terms of the draft this coming year, especially because not only do they have that eighth pick,
07:24but they have one at 23 as well, as well as a second round pick.
07:28So yeah, it's a big thing that they need to do in hitting on this draft and we'll see
07:33what they come up with.
07:34What do you think are the key factors that Zachary Rishishay needs to work on this off
07:39season to get his way back into the mix for this team?
07:43I think the biggest thing is just being able to create his own shot.
07:47I think what we saw him struggle with in, in terms of in the offense is that he kind of
07:53get lost in the shuffle because he's either, you know, kind of drifting around the perimeter
07:58or, you know, just kind of trying to get to the basket, but it was an ill-advised shot,
08:04if you will.
08:05When we saw him thrive, it's when he was crashing the boards.
08:08And now I think the big thing is just him working on his handle and being able to play
08:12through contact.
08:13I think that's the biggest thing you want to see out of him, especially with guys like
08:18Jalen, you know, being so dominant on the ball, Nakhil being so dominant on the ball, and
08:22then obviously CJ.
08:24So I think that's the big thing is just being able to go out there and create your own plays
08:29is going to be huge for him.
08:31Talking all things Hawks with our buddy Lauren Williams of the AJC.
08:34Make sure you check out her great work there.
08:37A couple of key decisions to make on Jonathan Kaminga and CJ McCollum this off season.
08:43You can argue there were moments, Lauren, that both of those guys carried the team during
08:48the end of the season and in the playoffs.
08:50So the Hawks certainly have a big decision to make on both those guys.
08:54Definitely.
08:55I mean, they have some flexibility with Kaminga.
08:58They don't necessarily have to pick up his option if it comes down to sort of the numbers
09:03and they can renegotiate something that's, you know, maybe longer term and a more favorable
09:09number to both sides.
09:12And I think, you know, Kaminga would love to be on a team that, you know, values him long
09:17term.
09:17And so maybe the numbers may not be the 25,000, but maybe it's something, you know, in the
09:2420 million, 25,000, 20 million range, excuse me, or like maybe a little lower at 18 over
09:31a longer period of time.
09:32But yeah, I think the big thing is, is bringing back McCollum in my opinion, just because he
09:38brings so many of those intangibles outside of what he can do on the court, the veteran
09:43leadership, the helping them create culture.
09:46And that's something that they're absolutely going to need, especially if they're adding
09:49in two more 19 year olds to this team with that eighth and 23rd pick.
09:54Before I let you go, I say this kind of tongue in cheek, but, but not really.
09:59Cause me and you have talked about Quinn Snyder a lot on this program.
10:02Yeah.
10:03You think there was a point when they were winning 18 out of 20, where in his office after
10:07the game, he just to himself gave a little fist pump, like, heck yeah, I still got it.
10:12This team is good.
10:13And everybody who was doubting my ability, look at us now.
10:16We're the hottest team in the NBA.
10:19I mean, yeah, I think you have to give him a lot of credit for being able to develop this
10:25squad and getting all of these new faces to buy into something so quickly that can be
10:31turned into a lot more success.
10:33So I think they have a good roster moving forward.
10:37They have a lot of good pieces that they'll want to have some continuity with, with him
10:42leading the home.
10:43So yeah, I mean, I think it's an exciting time and then you don't want to, you know, turn
10:48things over already just because of how things kind of shook out at the end of the, yeah.
10:58Lauren, really appreciate it.
11:00We'll be checking you out in the AJC.
11:02We'll chat after the draft and see what this new roster looks like.
11:06Appreciate it.
Comments