Atlanta Hawks basketball is finally back and this time the games actually count.
The Hawks open their season on the road against the Orlando Magic, their Southeast division rival. Atlanta and Orlando are often grouped together when it comes to playoff discussions in the Eastern Conference, and a win tonight could matter later in the year when the playoffs begin to get closer. While its just one game out of 82, this game could have consequences later in the season.
When looking at tonight's matchup between these two teams, what are the storylines that you need to be following?
1. Can Atlanta continue their success against Orlando?
Whether it was the Hawks with Trae Young and Kristaps Porzingis or the new-look Hawks with CJ McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga, the Hawks had a lot of success against the Magic last season.
Atlanta swept the season series against Orlando last season, going 4-0 and winning three of the four games by double-digits. The last game, a 130-101 victory down in Florida, also resulted in Magic center Goga Bitadze committing an unnecessary foul and ending Jock Landale's season, which was a big blow to Atlanta.
Will that success continue? If the answer is yes, then that should result in the Hawks being able to edge ahead of Orlando in the playoff race this season.
2. What impact does Sean Sweeney have on the Magic?
For a team as disappointing as Orlando was last season, they opted to not make any big roster changes. The one big change they did make was hire San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Sean Sweeney. They are banking on that to turn this group of talented players into a more cohesive team. The Magic were known as a strong defensive team under Jamahl Mosley, but that slipped a little bit last season and the offensive was still poor.
Earlier this week after practice, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder talked about Sweeney and what to expect from Orlando:
"Well, you know, you have Sean Sweeney, their coach, is a really good coach. And they're a really good team. And as you mentioned, excellent roster. Usually there's a balance of those things. I can't speak for them. I'm thinking about our team. But you try to play to your players' strengths. And at the same time, from a coaching standpoint, there's things that everybody's a little different and sees the game different ways. So I'm sure that'll be reflected in how they play as well."
3. New faces make their Hawks debuts
While the Hawks newest additions got to play during the preseason, this will be their official debuts for the team.
While they did not make any blockbuster changes this offseason, Atlanta added Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins from the Thunder and drafted Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor, and Henri Veesaar. Veesaar is out for the season with a knee injury, but the rest of the group is going to be available tonight and I expect to see Dort, Wiggins, and Flemings as three of the first guys off the bench.
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