On-court expectations are very low, at least from the outside looking in, for the 2018-19 Atlanta Hawks. Most national outlets project the Hawks to finish in the NBA’s basement and even the folks in Las Vegas assess Atlanta with the league’s lowest baseline in terms of projected win total.
With that in mind, it makes sense that the team’s brain trust, headlined by GM Travis Schlenk and head coach Lloyd Pierce, might be preparing for an uncomfortable season that begins with Media Day on Sept. 24. However, the duo was prompted about the potential for a “painful” rebuilding campaign at a recent press conference and neither was ready to assert the expectation for agony.