The Hawks have had their moments of reflection.
The sting of the Game 7 loss to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference playoffs on Saturday is still painful. The failure to hold a five-point lead in the final three minutes at home of the Game 6 loss especially torments.
The Hawks were on the verge of a first-round upset and would have begun the conference semifinal round Monday in Washington. Instead, they spent the day cleaning out lockers, going through exit interviews and physicals and separating for the summer.
“Game 6 is going to eat at me for a while,” Jeff Teague said.
However, first-year head coach Mike Budenholzer and his players were ready to look forward, even just two days after their season ended in disappointment. There are reasons to be encouraged. There is a core group of players in place. A healthy Al Horford will return. A number of players performed well in expanded roles. New offensive and defensive systems are in place. They spent an up-and-down season laying the foundation on which the organization says it can build.
“A couple of those games we didn’t finish,” Kyle Korver said of the playoffs. “Those were tough. But to get to where we want to be, it’s not always an uphill climb. You have to go down sometimes too. You have to learn. You have to lose. You have to get mad. You have to get better.
“In that series, you saw what we are capable of, in good and bad ways. We saw where we have to get better. There are a lot of things to look at and to build on.”
Only Elton Brand and Cartier Martin are unrestricted free agents. Gustavo Ayon, Shelvin Mack and Mike Scott are restricted free agents and the Hawks have the right to match any offer they receive this summer. Ten players are under contract for next season, including all five starters.
The Hawks also have the 15th overall pick in June’s NBA Draft to add another piece.
In free agency, the team has approximately $15 million to spend, should it choose.
Player development will continue to be an important aspect for the franchise, Budenholzer said.
“We have to continue to grow our players that we have,” Budenholzer said. “We’ve created that kind of environment. I think they appreciate it. They want to get better. It’s the beauty of it. It worked out well for us this season and it needs to work out for us going forward.”
The Hawks made the playoffs despite losing Horford to season-ending surgery just 29 games into the season. He was far from the only injury. John Jenkins and Ayon were lost for the season. Officially, the Hawks lost 201 regular-season games to injury.
At one point, with three centers out, Brand, a 6-foot-9 forward, was the only healthy big man. The team survived a stretch when it lost 14 of 15 games. Still, they made the postseason and had the top-seeded Pacers on the brink of elimination.
Paul Millsap said that it may look like the Hawks overachieved. He believes they underachieved.
“Looking over the season, the things we have been through, the struggles we had to live with, it was definitely a great season for us,” Millsap said. “We’ve been able to accomplish a lot as far as style of play and the way we want to play. I’m always going to look ahead and say, ‘We could have done this. We could have done that.’”
Budenholzer said he, his staff and team will look at the season with a critical eye, aware that there are plenty of areas for improvement.
For now, take a break. Catch your breath. Get some rest.
Then get back to work.
“Foundation is the word we want to use,” Budenholzer said. “A lot has been laid down in a very positive way. I think there is still a lot to be done. …
“We are going to get better. We are going to work in all ways, shapes and forms.”
