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The Atlanta Hawks could learn a lot from the 2025-26 NBA championship-winning New York Knicks.
Granted, that's true every year. Whoever wins the NBA title will inspire copycats. Often, it turns out that their winning formula is impossible to replicate. Yet, it's worth investigating. Every team is trying to win the title.
Besides, the Hawks can copy the Knicks in at least one meaningful way.
One of the defining qualities of the Knicks' title run was their five-out spacing.
Granted, Onyeka Okongwu is not Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns is a far more dangerous threat from beyond the arc. He can also capitalize on closeouts with his superior ball-handling. This is not a one-to-one comparison.
Still, Okongwu hit 37.6% of his triples in 2025-26, on 5.2 attempts per game. Teams do not want to leave him open beyond the arc. The Hawks can space defenses out similarly, if not identically, to the Knicks. Replacing Okongwu in the starting lineup with a non-shooting big is something the Hawks should think twice about.
This does raise concerns about Dyson Daniels. For all his talents, he's a non-shooting wing. The closest comparison the Knicks regularly played was Josh Hart. He's a better shooter, and strictly from a spacing perspective, Jalen Johnson is occupying his spot.
That leads us to the next lesson.
The Knicks didn't think RJ Barrett was a championship-viable player, so they moved him.
That's not to say the Hawks should trade Daniels — yet. They don't need to copy the Knicks precisely. Perhaps they can find a way to make this roster work at the highest level.
The broader point is that they should not be afraid to make big moves. Whether it's Daniels or someone else, if the Hawks think they can bolster their championship odds by trading a player, they should.
On a long-term basis, they may need to find a different type of player.
Heading into 2026-27, the Hawks are set on ball-handling. That said, CJ McCollum is closer to the end of his career than not. The Hawks will keep a close eye on Kingston Flemings' development as the season wears on.
Can Devin Carter emerge as a rotation piece? Time will tell. All we can say for now is that in the 2025-26 playoffs, the Knicks played as many ball-handlers as they could get on the floor.
That's less of a trend and more of a paradigm shift. There's no disadvantage to doubling down on skill, so this is how NBA teams will likely look to build moving forward. Unless the Hawks win the 2026-27 NBA title, they may need to add ball-handling to their roster.
Take it from the Knicks.
Continue reading...
Granted, that's true every year. Whoever wins the NBA title will inspire copycats. Often, it turns out that their winning formula is impossible to replicate. Yet, it's worth investigating. Every team is trying to win the title.
Besides, the Hawks can copy the Knicks in at least one meaningful way.
Hawks Can Replicate the Knicks' Spacing
One of the defining qualities of the Knicks' title run was their five-out spacing.
Granted, Onyeka Okongwu is not Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns is a far more dangerous threat from beyond the arc. He can also capitalize on closeouts with his superior ball-handling. This is not a one-to-one comparison.
Still, Okongwu hit 37.6% of his triples in 2025-26, on 5.2 attempts per game. Teams do not want to leave him open beyond the arc. The Hawks can space defenses out similarly, if not identically, to the Knicks. Replacing Okongwu in the starting lineup with a non-shooting big is something the Hawks should think twice about.
This does raise concerns about Dyson Daniels. For all his talents, he's a non-shooting wing. The closest comparison the Knicks regularly played was Josh Hart. He's a better shooter, and strictly from a spacing perspective, Jalen Johnson is occupying his spot.
That leads us to the next lesson.
The Hawks Can't Be Afraid of Big Moves
The Knicks didn't think RJ Barrett was a championship-viable player, so they moved him.
That's not to say the Hawks should trade Daniels — yet. They don't need to copy the Knicks precisely. Perhaps they can find a way to make this roster work at the highest level.
The broader point is that they should not be afraid to make big moves. Whether it's Daniels or someone else, if the Hawks think they can bolster their championship odds by trading a player, they should.
On a long-term basis, they may need to find a different type of player.
Hawks Need Multiple Ball-Handlers
Heading into 2026-27, the Hawks are set on ball-handling. That said, CJ McCollum is closer to the end of his career than not. The Hawks will keep a close eye on Kingston Flemings' development as the season wears on.
Can Devin Carter emerge as a rotation piece? Time will tell. All we can say for now is that in the 2025-26 playoffs, the Knicks played as many ball-handlers as they could get on the floor.
That's less of a trend and more of a paradigm shift. There's no disadvantage to doubling down on skill, so this is how NBA teams will likely look to build moving forward. Unless the Hawks win the 2026-27 NBA title, they may need to add ball-handling to their roster.
Take it from the Knicks.
Continue reading...
