The NBA is inching closer, with preseason nine days away and regular season 22 days away. Media day for all 30 teams occurred over the past weekend. Here are my three takeaways from the Atlanta Hawks Media Day 2022. 

Deandre Hunter

Hunter is a crucial piece to the Atlanta Hawk’s success. Hunter has the physical tools to become a star in this league; he has the height, wingspan, and lateral movement. Hunter said he focused on his ball-handling this offseason. The Hawks lack ball-handlers, and Hunter’s improvement will add more wrinkles to the offense. In addition, Hunter had a healthy offseason to work on his game. The combination of these two things primes Hunter for a breakout season. The success of the Atlanta Hawks will depend on Hunter making that 3rd year jump in his game.

Shuffling of the Coaches

Joe Prunty is promoted to assistant coach, replacing Chris Jent. The Hawks hired coach Mike Longabardi to take Prunty’s place. Longabardi is a veteran coach who worked with Doc Rivers and Tyronn Lue and is known to be defensive-minded. McMillan brought him in to incorporate more defense and will hopefully help the bottom-rated Hawks defense construct a much-needed defensive philosophy.

The Rising Sophomore: Jalen Johnson

The departure of Gallinari and Huerter paves the way for playing time for Jalen Johnson. Coach McMillan rarely played Johnson last season.  He only played 22 games out of the 82-game season, averaging 5.5 minutes within those contests. Johnson expects to finally crack the rotation, playing as John Collin’s backup. Johnson has shown flashes of his potential with the College Park Skyhawks, averaging 20.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. More minutes for young guys like Jalen Johnson is always welcome. Johnson will be the secondary or tertiary creator who comes off of the bench, as well as play solid defense.