Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks have not been to the playoff since 2017, but after signing Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic in the offseason, a lot of expectations were placed on the Hawks to potentially sneak into the Eastern Conference playoff picture. 

Not only have they sneaked into the playoff picture, but the Hawks hold the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference right now and have been one of the best teams in the league during the second-half of the season. They have gone 15-6 since the All-Star break this year and with Trae Young, Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic playing their best basketball of the season down the stretch, this is a hungry team that nobody will want to play in the postseason. 

All season long, the Hawks have battled injuries to key talents like Bogdanovic, Gallinari, Hunter and Reddish, but with almost everyone back or on the mend, the Atlanta Hawks look like they will be at full strength come playoff time. 

They have consistently been one of the better offensive teams over the course of the season and they have been making strides defensively during the second-half of the season. On the year, they are giving up on average 111.4 points per game to their opponents, but since the All-Star break, they have only given up about 110.1 points per game to their opponents. 

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This is a small decrease, but when you think big picture, this small difference has helped them win a handful of games during the second-half of the season. As a result, the Hawks are one of the hottest teams in the league right now and should be a formidable foe in the postseason.