Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have spent most of their existence as the NBA’s perpetual “nearly” team — nearly good enough, nearly relevant, nearly worth your full attention — and the franchise’s sole championship came in 1958 while they were still based in St. Louis, which tells you everything about how long Atlanta has been waiting. Founded in 1946 as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks before settling in Atlanta in 1968, the Hawks play at State Farm Arena, an 18,118-seat venue downtown that gets considerably louder than the team’s historical record might suggest it deserves.

Under Quin Snyder, the Hawks have committed to a fast-paced, high-event brand of basketball built around Trae Young’s extraordinary playmaking and an increasingly dangerous supporting cast. The 2021 Eastern Conference Finals run proved the ceiling exists; the 40-42 finish in 2024-25 and a Play-In Tournament berth proved the floor is closer than anyone would like. Consistency remains the Hawks’ most elusive quality, and until they find it, they will continue to tantalise without delivering.

For Australian fans, the Hawks are essential viewing because of Dyson Daniels, the Bendigo-born guard who won the 2024-25 Most Improved Player award and promptly became one of the best defensive players in the entire league. Averaging 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and a league-leading 3.0 steals per game, Daniels is not merely an Australian success story — he is a genuine two-way force. His four-year, $100 million extension signed in October 2025 cements him as a franchise cornerstone, and if you are an Australian basketball fan who is not watching Daniels play, you are missing the best thing to happen to Aussie hoops since Andrew Bogut went number one.

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The Hawks enter 2025-26 with a backcourt pairing that is simultaneously their greatest strength and their most fascinating experiment. Trae Young creates offence out of thin air; Dyson Daniels suffocates it at the point of attack. Whether Snyder can harness those complementary talents into a team that finishes above .500 and makes genuine playoff noise will determine whether Atlanta remains a “nearly” franchise or finally becomes a “now” one. For Australian fans, Daniels alone makes the Hawks appointment viewing — a Bendigo kid locking down All-Stars in the world’s best basketball league. That is worth the price of a Kayo subscription by itself.

VS — Chief sports columnist, australiafootball.com