5 keys to the Hawks’ season, opening Wednesday night

The Hawks begin their regular season with high external expectations. The team made several upgrades to its roster, priming it for a deeper run in the playoffs.

Still, the team will need time for those new players to gel. But the Hawks expect them to have urgency in building that team chemistry.

Here are five keys to the coming season, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday against the Raptors at State Farm Arena.

1. Defense

The Hawks want to play fast on offense. To do that, they’re going to rely on their defense to create advantages.

This year, the Hawks added Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kristaps Porziņģis, who both bring their own brand of defensive havoc to their rotation.

Alexander-Walker can create problems on the perimeter, and when paired with Dyson Daniels, he intensifies the pressure to opposing offenses. Both Alexander-Walker and Daniels can force deflections that disrupt the rhythms of opponents and force them to rethink passes.

Porziņģis, paired with Jalen Johnson and/or Onyeka Okongwu, can make it tough for opposing teams to attack the rim. Their size closes off looks at the basket, and they’ll have to worry about Porziņģis’ threat as a shot blocker.

But the Hawks have stressed throughout training camp that it will take a collective effort and not just the skills of their defensive weapons.

2. Rotation depth

As the Hawks experimented and looked at different lineups throughout the exhibition games, they stretched the rotation. But with the season set to begin, the number of players coming off the bench will likely shrink.

When fully healthy, the Hawks could keep their rotation at eight, to potentially nine, players.

That would include the starters of Daniels, Johnson, Porziņģis, along with Trae Young and Zaccharie Risacher. Alexander-Walker, Okongwu and Luke Kennard will come off the bench.

The team could add Keaton Wallace to the mix as another playmaker.

3. Offense clicking

The Hawks flashed what their offense looked like when at its best when they faced the Grizzlies in exhibition play.

The ball moved freely around the perimeter. Players cut to the basket without the ball in their hands for quick layups. They scored in transition off grabbing a defensive rebound.

When the Hawks play the way they want to play, their brand of basketball hinges on unselfishness.

The Hawks have multiple players on this roster who can create for others. So, with the understanding that defenses will double-team Young and deploy a full-court press, the team should still be able to get the offense flowing.

4. Youth

The Hawks have a young roster with nine players under 25. But players such as Daniels (age 22), Risacher (age 20) and Johnson (23) play significant roles in the Hawks’ rotation.

Last season, Johnson took a leap before a shoulder injury and surgery sidelined him. This season, he will look to build even more on that, while maintaining his healthy and showing his durability.

Daniels won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award and will aim to unlock more offensive tools in his bag. He said at Media Day last month that he worked on his midrange game during the offseason.

After getting to play at EuroBasket this summer, Risacher will look to capitalize on that momentum. Risacher looked comfortable attacking the basket in the European tournament and kept looking to do so during the exhibition season.

5. Big-man pairings

The Hawks rolled out lineups that included both Okongwu and Porzingis. The two bigs still have to get used to playing with each other and understanding the other’s tendencies.

Both have the natural instincts to roll to the basket and will have to find opportunities to pop instead.