Last season, the Atlanta Hawks came out of nowhere to shock the NBA and run away with the Southeast division. Atlanta claimed the divisional crown in style, besting division-runner up Washington by a sizable 14 game margin in the standings.
By far the surprise team of the league, the Hawks 60 regular season victories were only bested by eventual NBA champion Golden State’s 67.
However, over the summer Atlanta lost key contributors and saw two huge cogs undergo off-season surgery.
Meanwhile, the other teams in the Southeast division improved their collective rosters and took serious steps forward in their quest to dethrone Atlanta and reign supreme in the Southeast.