Atlanta Hawks: A Look To The Future

The Atlanta Hawks are poised to make it to the playoffs this year, and that is a big accomplishment for this team.

But when we look back in a few years, we'll realize it was only the beginning.

The reason I say that is because the Hawks have a good team with a strong young nucleus that is poised to start their run towards becoming a perennial playoff team.

If the playoffs started right now, the Hawks would be the eighth seed in the East at 26-36. But in years down the road, the Hawks should get much higher seeds than that.

The Hawks know that they can make the playoffs this year, and if they do, they want to try their best to make a run when they get there. That's why they traded for Mike Bibby.

Bibby, at 29, is not the long-term answer at point, but is an upgrade over Acie Law IV for now, and is a terrific tutor for the young leader.

With Bibby and Joe Johnson making up a solid veteran backcourt, the Hawks have playoff experience on their roster to help offset younger players like Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, and Al Horford.

But this article isn't about this year. It's about the future.

The Hawks have young studs on their roster, and they'll make strides in the coming years, especially in the depth-starved Eastern Conference.

Here's a breakdown of the players who will step into -or already have stepped into- key roles for the Hawks:

Acie Law IV (23): The 11th overall pick in this past NBA draft, Acie Law IV was brought in to be the PG of the future for the Hawks.

Law had a terrific career at Texas A&M, finishing third in school history in both scoring and assists, with 1,669 and 545, respectively.

The sharp-shooting lefty was often compared to Pistons PG Chauncey Billups while in college due to his knack for hitting big 3-point shots under pressure.

Law has played in 40 games this season, starting six.

Learning from Mike Bibby will benefit him greatly.

Al Horford (21): Picked No. 3 overall this year, the Hawks were criticized by some, including me, for taking yet another forward in the first round after taking Marvin Williams and Shelden Williams in consecutive drafts.

Horford has proved all of his doubters wrong, having pushed Zaza Pachulia out of a starting role and recording 19 double-doubles so far this season.

Horford will compete with Kevin Durant for ROY honors this year.

Josh Smith (22): Smith has raised his scoring and rebounding averages each of his four years in the league, and this year he is proving to be a total box score monster.

While if you look at any one stat you may not be blown away, looking at how complete his averages are is astounding. Smith averages 17.3 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.7 SPG, and 3.1 BPG.

He can also get his entire head above the rim on a regular basis.

Marvin Williams (21): Williams, despite being a two year vet, still has some growing to do in terms of his game. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2005 draft and was thought to be a work-in-progress after bolting from UNC following his freshman year.

Williams is a face-up player who can play either forward position, and this year is averaging 15.2 PPG, coming into his own a bit on the scoring end.

He still has to work on his overall game, but if he can reach that superstar potential, there are nothing but good things to come for this Hawks team.

Josh Childress (24): Childress was hyped up coming out of college, and while he hasn't been at the level we expected him to be at when he came out of Stanford, he is still a good player in the right role.

Childress has seen his chance for a starting role diminish over the past three years, and this year he has not started a single game.

But that doesn't mean he hasn't been effective.

Childress is averaging 30.2 MPG over 54 games this season, averaging 12.1 PPG. He is a solid bench player, and will continue to be a great sixth man for the Hawks for years to come.

Adding these players and their developments to an already established and still young star in Joe Johnson (26), the Hawks have set them up for a terrific future.

And as for right now? Well they aren't doing too there bad either.