The Atlanta Hawks have played far better of late, despite being picked by many pundits and oddsmakers as one of the worst teams in the league this season. The Hawks are up to 14-30 on the season, which is only the fifth-worst record in the NBA.
Though the team has played well recently, the franchise’s goal this year has always been to develop the young players and accrue future draft assets to build the team organically via the draft.
Conversely, the Western Conference playoff picture is the most crowded it has been in years – with only one team (the Phoenix Suns) nowhere near contention.