The Southeast division was extremely close last year. While there probably won't be three teams with 48 wins again, expect plenty of competition between the Hawks and their conference rivals this season.
Divisions in the NBA have always meant less than they do in leagues like the NFL or MLB, and after the league office's decision to remove the automatic playoff qualification for division winners these groupings of teams mean even less. However, division rivals are still guaranteed four games against each other, meaning that the teams in the Hawks' division are still more important than most other teams in the Eastern Conference.