Believe it or not, no team had more wins against the new NBA champion Knicks in the postseason than the Atlanta Hawks. Thanks to CJ McCollum’s heroics, the Hawks got out to a 2–1 lead on the Knicks in the first round before New York’s historic playoff run began, going 13–1 on the way to the title from that point.
The veteran guard became a Madison Square Garden villain with a 32-point performance in Game 2 to will the Hawks to a one-point win over the eventual champs. In Game 3, he hit a game-winning jumper to give Atlanta the lead in the series. The Hawks’ status as an upset candidate was short-lived as the Knicks won the next three games to end Atlanta’s season. Now that the offseason has begun, the Hawks were quick to bring back their veteran leader as McCollum has agreed to a one-year, $21 million extension to remain with the franchise according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
McCollum arrived in Atlanta along with Corey Kispert at the trade deadline in the deal that sent star point guard Trae Young to the Wizards. From that point, the Hawks became one of the hottest teams in the NBA and earned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, giving the Knicks a tougher time than any other opponent. Starting Feb. 22, the Hawks won 14 of 15 games and their starting lineup of McCollum, Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu became a nightmare for opponents on both ends of the floor.
With McCollum’s extension, the full group will remain with the Hawks next season as the franchise hopes to take the next step and contend in the East. The move makes a ton of sense for both sides and with a full season having McCollum alongside the young core, Atlanta could take a giant step forward.
The Hawks need CJ McCollum to fuel the offense and take the next step
The biggest question Atlanta faced after the Young era came to a close is how the offense would hold up without the star point guard running the show. Johnson has continued to improve and received his first All-Star nod this year and third team All-NBA honors. He’s one of the NBA’s best all-around players, but the Hawks needed another ball handler and facilitator to keep the offense afloat.
Atlanta was dreadful in the 10 games Young played with the Hawks last season and the return received from the Wizards underwhelmed at first, but McCollum’s veteran presence as a true scorer and Kispert’s shooting ability exceeded expectations.
Before the All-Star break and McCollum’s arrival, the Hawks had an offensive rating of 113.6, which was 20th in the NBA. Post All-Star, Atlanta’s offensive rating jumped up nearly five points to 118.3, 10th across the league. Over the 11-game winning streak that lasted nearly a month following the All-Star break, the Hawks led the NBA in nearly every statistical category—both offensively and defensively.
In 41 games and 25 starts with the Hawks, McCollum averaged 18.7 points and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 35.7% from three-point range on 6.5 attempts per game. He was on an expiring deal last season, which made him an intriguing piece for Atlanta in the Young trade. He was anything but salary filler and future cap flexibility, though, as he gets a nice, short-term contract to remain with the franchise.
He’ll turn 35 ahead of next season, which is the biggest slight against him. He was still extremely effective in his 13th NBA season, however, even turning into a short-lived heel with his incredible stretch in the playoffs.
Young teams need a veteran leader to help weather the storm when things go sideways in crucial moments. McCollum gives Atlanta exactly that in addition to his high-octane scoring ability. The Hawks got some playoff experience this year in a mostly-competitive first-round series with the Knicks, despite a blowout in Game 6 as New York shut the door. The East will get even more competitive next year with Tyrese Haliburton returning to the Pacers, Jayson Tatum having a full season with the Celtics and the young Pistons improving with a target now on New York’s back.
The Hawks are right there in the conversation as a contender, too. Another offseason of improvement for the young core of Johnson, Daniels and Alexander-Walker plus a full season with McCollum raises Atlanta’s floor. The expectation next year should be to get back to the playoffs and win a series this time. And McCollum’s ability to get buckets in the clutch certainly helps in that effort.
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