The Atlanta Hawks traded away their former All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson in the offseason to the Brooklyn Nets, but that doesn't mean the Hawks are worst off. Atlanta used some of the money they saved on Johnson to add depth to the team by brining in players Lou Williams, Kyle Korver and Devin Harris.
The team lost Jason Collins, Erick Dampier, Kirk Hinrich , Tracy McGrady, Jannero Pargo, Jerry Stackhouse, Marvin Williams and Joe Johnson. The Hawks have been a solid defensive team for the past few seasons. Smith and Horford make it hard for the opposition to score in the paint and the duo contest and block shots well. The Hawks were sixth in the NBA in points allowed last year and that solid defensive play should continue this season.
One of the only weaknesses the Hawks frontcourt has is the lack of quality backups for center Zaza Pachulia and Horford. Pachulia is physical and a solid defender, but he is still recovering from a foot injury that kept him out of the playoffs last season. Johan Petro is still very raw at this point in his career and has never averaged higher than 6 points or 5 rebounds in a season.
The Hawks also have a problem that plagues many NBA teams; they lack one of the few elite players in the league. Although they have a very talent group of player, there still isn't a guy that other teams fear.
According to NBA 2K13, the Hawks will take a step backward with out Joe Johnson and will miss the playoffs in the first season minus the former All-Star. But it will also be because of injures at the guard position to Jeff Teague, Devin Harris and Lou Williams. Former Chicago shooting guard Kyle Korver also fails to make an impact and his three-point shooting average drops from his career 0.413 to a 0.301 average. It isn't all terrible for the Hawks, as Josh Smith has a banner year and finally makes the All-Star team.
Here is how the game simulates the Hawks' season:
Regular Season Record: 37-45 tenth in the Eastern Conference
Top scorers: PG Devin Harris 12.5 PPG, SG Lou Williams 18.1 PPG, SF Josh Smith 22.9 PPG
Leading rebounders: C Zaza Pachulia 6.6 RPG, SF Josh Smith 9.4 RPG, PF Al Horford 9.9 RPG
Assist Leader: SG Lou Williams 3.8 APG, PG Jeff Teague 5.1 APG, PG Devin Harris 6.5 APG
Playoff Opponents
Round 1: Did not qualify
Round 2: Did not qualify
Conference Finals: Did not qualify
NBA Finals: Did not qualify
Check out our other NBA 2K13 team previews:
Miami Heat
Oklahoma City Thunder
San Antonio Spurs
Boston Celtics
Los Angeles Lakers
Philadelphia 76ers
New York Knicks
Brooklyn Nets
Chicago Bulls
Los Angeles Clippers
Minnesota Timberwolves
Portland Trail Blazers
Cleveland Cavaliers
Washington Wizards
Denver Nuggets
Phoenix Suns
Houston Rockets
Orlando Magic