NBA Training Camp: 5 Biggest Questions For Atlanta Hawks

Sometimes off-the-court stuff can really distract a team and one of the bigger NBA stories this offseason was the racist remarks from Hawks GM Danny Ferry. The question is whether Atlanta can put that behind them or if they’ll let that distract them.

As stated, the Hawks were devastated by injuries last season and their frontcourt was hit arguably the hardest. With one less body now that Gustavo Ayon has parted, the health of that frontcourt is going to be huge for Atlanta.

Payne seems like the perfect fit for Budenholzer’s system given what he did in college, but he also reportedly has had issues picking up nuances in new systems. That’ll be something to watch as the Hawks will be looking for him to contribute.

The Hawks drafted Schroder last year hoping he’d be able to contribute and he, quite frankly, wasn’t ready. After a year of development, experience, and simply growing into manhood, Schroder’s impact needs to be something greater than it was last year.

Back to the injuries, the Hawks need Horford if they are going to reach their ceiling. Horford is one of the most underrated players in the league who does a ton of things well. The question continues to be, though, if he’s going to play 82 games or something remotely close to that.