Hawks seem built for playoffs, but Onsi Saleh still taking one step at a time
The Hawks had a productive offseason that has raised the expectations of what the team can accomplish during the 2025-26 season.
While the Hawks look stronger, have more depth and seem built for a postseason run, general manager Onsi Saleh would like to keep taking things one step at a time.
“When you evaluate, you also got to realize we have a lot of new faces here, and for that to gel and build that chemistry takes a little bit of time,” Saleh said in a start-of-preseason media availability Friday. “We haven’t had a practice yet. So, I know there’s these expectations publicly that have been out there, but at the same time, I’d like to see us practice once, and see that happen, play a game or two, maybe.”
The Hawks, who begin training camp Tuesday, added veteran center Kristaps Porzingis via a trade with the Celtics in June. They acquired veteran wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker via a sign-and-trade agreement with the Timberwolves in July. They signed veteran sharpshooter Luke Kennard to a multiyear deal.
All three new faces will be expected to be key contributors this season, especially since they fit the archetype the Hawks targeted this offseason.
The three new pieces, as well as bringing back some of the team’s other supporting members, have bolstered the Hawks’ chances at an improved season. Saleh stated multiple times that he feels excited for what lies ahead, but won’t get carried away.
“I can’t put, like, a win total,” Saleh said. “I’d be lying to you guys, by saying I think we’re going to win ‘X’ amount of games. I don’t know the answer to that question, theoretically. We just feel like the guys fit all together. We know that we aren’t there yet in the sense of the ceiling of this team, because that’s not going to be found out until Jalen (Johnson), Dyson (Daniels), (Zaccharie Risacher), those guys, Asa (Newell, the team’s first-round draft pick this year), these guys aren’t close to their primes yet.
“They got a long way to go. And they’re really good right now, but there’s another level to these guys, and we’re not going to see that for a couple of years. And that, again, is the goal, right? We’re not really trying to be focused so much on win totals this year, versus being a sustainable contending team for a long period of time. So, yeah, I’d like to see them practice and do their thing, but this is all future-based.”
The Hawks won 40 games last season, four more than the season before. In both seasons, long-term injuries to key contributors like Johnson and guard Trae Young stymied the team’s ability to find consistency on the court.
But the moves the Hawks’ front office made in the offseason addressed the team’s lack of depth because of the versatility up and down the lineup.
A pervasive problem the Hawks have had is the lack of ability to generate offense when Young goes to the bench. But the Hawks signed and acquired players who can provide ball-handling and shot creation that could prevent any offensive drop-off.
“I do think we actually have a lot of ball handlers personally, and we have ball handlers with size, as well,” Saleh said. “And just kind of adding to the roster. We added size in a lot of different areas. We added shooting, more skilled. We added guys that are connectors — Luke, Kristaps, all those guys, I feel like they’re connectors. And what I mean by that is, they get everybody involved in different ways, to spacing, respacing, play with the ball, without the ball, and we again, we have multiple handlers that I feel comfortable with, honestly.”
The Hawks open training camp Tuesday and begin their exhibition season on the road Oct. 6 against the Rockets.
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