Unfortunately for Hawks fans, they aren’t in the 2015 glory days anymore being the 1 seed going into the playoffs. Though Paul Millsap, Al Horford, and Kyle Korver ended that season disappointingly getting swept by Lebron and the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals, Hawks fans miss the days of being relevant in the basketball arena. Luckily, with some of the Hawks’ offseason moves, it looks like they are poised for a playoff run and a winning regular season.

Through trade, free agency, and the draft, the Hawks acquired Bogdan Bogdanovic from the Kings, Kris Dunn from the Bulls, Rajon Rondo from the Lakers, Danilo Gallinari from the Thunder, Onyeka Okongwu drafted from USC, and Clint Capela traded from the Rockets– who they acquired during this past season, but he hasn’t played yet. These moves have propelled Atlanta’s rebuild and put them in the position to be in the playoffs and maybe even contenders under the leadership of their star player Trae Young and head coach Lloyd Pierce. Hawks fans are certainly found among the ranks of North Atlanta students and after the impressive array of off-season moves, enthusiasm for the team is growing. “They had a productive offseason,” said junior Robert Fowler. “they can definitely clinch the 8th seed and maybe even the 5th seed if they work hard enough.”

North Atlanta is always going to have tons of Hawks fans even though some may support other teams in the NBA, the vast majority among those connected to the 11 stories support the local franchise. Many are excited by the recent offseason moves of the Hawks and hope they will get back into the limelight of the NBA and become relevant again. Sophomore Camille Evans has been avidly following the Hawks since she went to her first Hawks game in elementary school. “They have a lot of talent on the team. I think they could easily cruise to the playoffs if they can stay healthy.”

Some at North Atlanta are still skeptical of the Hawks’ ability to win after many years of mediocrity after the 2015 season. They still believe the years of relevancy are behind us, and that the Hawks will continue on the path they were on before the moves they made this off-season. Even with the moves made this offseason, sophomore Amir Stevenson is still betting against a Hawks renaissance. “In my opinion, no, the NBA is changing and becoming really competitive while the Hawks are still being left behind compared to other teams,” he said. 

Though this season for the NBA will be different from ones in the past, winning is always what matters most to develop fan support. The Hawks aren’t in 2015 anymore and they have to be able to win in today’s NBA. Franchise leaders have built the roster they need to be able to do that now the real test is if they can come together and be relevant again, and for North Atlanta Hawks fan’s sake. Maybe this year, the Hawks and the city will party like it’s 2015 — all over again.