Hawks Fan Vote Reveals MVP, Future Stars and the Team's Most Chaotic Personalities
We asked, you answered, and now, we can officially reveal the results for the Atlanta Hawks' batch of year-end awards!
Shout-out to everyone who participated. You played a pivotal role in helping us dole out invaluable hardware. From the Hawks' MVP and most underrated player to their best trash-talker and zombie apocalypse savior, you covered all the most important bases.
So, who won each category? Let's get to the big reveals.
Stats accurate as of Sunday, April 12. Contract data via Spotrac.
Who Is the Most Valuable Player?
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Winner: Jalen Johnson
This was a clear-as-day, no-contest situation. Jalen Johnson was powering the Hawks long before Trae Young was sent to the Washington Wizards. He is their undeniable primary lifeline now.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker grabbing a decided hold on second place is at once bizarre and feels right. Props to Jonathan Kuminga's family tree for getting involved, too.
Who Is Most Underrated?
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Winner: Dyson Daniels
The pendulum has swung too far on Dyson Daniels because people only look at his three-point volume and efficiency. That much is clear here.
Onyeka Okongwu doing everything at a net-positive level, including stretching the floor, doesn't get enough attention. He could just as easily snared the first-place finish.
Who Is the Best Athlete?
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Winner: Jalen Johnson
Jalen Johnson eked out a victory here with 50 percent of the vote. He'd have a more decided hold on the results if the Hawks never traded for Jonathan Kuminga.
Though JK has more traditional bounce, Johnson is the correct call. He is essentially positionless on the offensive end, something to which scant few players lay claim.
Who Is Most Likely to Be a 1st-Time All-Star In the Next 5 Years?
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Winner: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Nickeil Alexander-Walker is making a Derrick White-to-Boston kind of leap. That bodes well for him entering the fringes of—and possibly breaking through—the All-Star barrier in any given season.
Resisting the urge to play up Zaccharie Risacher's No. 1 pick status is the right play. Players like Jonathan Kuminga or Dyson Daniels are better alternatives if you're counting on one-off detonations. Onyeka Okongwu is a more interesting selection if the NBA brings back positional designations.
Who Has the Best Contract?
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Winner: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Most teams would struggle to have more attractive contracts on the books than deals that pay top-50-type players such as Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu under 10 percent of the salary cap. Not the Hawks, though.
Alexander-Walker "only" receiving 61 percent of the votes is proof that Jalen Johnson's flat $30 million-per-year pact remains a caps-lock STEAL. It keeps him under team control through 2029-30, at which time he won't even be earning 16 percent of the salary cap.
Who Has the Worst Contract?
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Winner: Corey Kispert
Corey Kispert "winning" this category makes sense. Earning between 7 and 10 percent of the salary cap isn't much, but he has two more guaranteed years left on his deal, plus a 2028-29 team option, and isn't assured a spot in Atlanta's rotation.
Buddy Hield finishing in second with 30 percent of the vote despite having just a $3 million guarantee for next season is kind of hysterical. It's also nod to the fanbase's faith in Dyson Daniels (owed $25 million per year through 2029-30).
Zaccharie Risacher is a sleeper. Rookies scales are supposed to be bargains, but he's making about the same, on average, as Onyeka Okongwu and Nickeil Alexander-Walker over the next two seasons. That's far from peanuts relative to what he's shown in his first two years.
Who Is the Best Trash Talker?
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Winner: Nickeil-Alexander Walker
It's a shame Georges Niang didn't stick on the roster. He'd have won this running away.
NAW is an perfectly awesome alternative, because we have confirmation that he talks trash in family group chats with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. For what it's worth, Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu previously identified the other as the team's biggest trash-talker.
Who Is Most Likely to Have a Burner Account?
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Winner: CJ McCollum
Well, 55 percent of voters agree: If CJ McCollum doesn't have a burner that choppers into mentions claiming he's not responsible for the Era of Aprons, it's a real missed opportunity and he should get on rectifying it.
Nobody else received more than 20 percent of the votes cast. That honor belongs to Onyeka Okongwu—which tracks, since he's among the Hawks' resident smack-talkers.
Who Are You Taking With You Into the Zombie Apocalypse?
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Winner: Dyson Daniels
With a nickname like The Great Barrier Thief, Dyson Daniels was always going to feature prominently in this discussion. He defends with the vigor of someone who should decapitate zombies with karate chops and clotheslines. That's worth 47 percent of votes cast in my book.
Assuming versatility is an analog for apocalyptic resourcefulness, Jalen Johnson would also make you feel safe. Don't sleep on Christian Koloko's general enormity, either.
Who Is Most Likely to Be Playing Overseas In 2 Seasons?
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Winner: RayJ Dennis
Poor RayJ Dennis. At least his name is cool as hell.
If it's any consolation to Dennis, he only received a little more than one-third of the votes. Christian Koloko checked in with 27 percent while Buddy Hield secured a 25 percent share, presumably because he's a good candidate to head overseas and average 30-plus points while winning league MVPs.
