The Atlanta Hawks famously started the 2020-21 season with a 14-20 record, only to turn things around and make a Cinderella run to the Eastern Conference Finals. The team’s decision to swap Nate McMillan for Lloyd Pierce was a clear catalyst in the ascent, and one of the NBA’s deepest teams endured significant injury issues along the way. Trae Young enjoyed a national breakout with a playoff run and a heel turn, while Clint Capela landed on Defensive Player of the Year ballots and John Collins turned a fantastic season into an eight-figure free agent deal. While it was something of a bizarre, up-and-down campaign, the Hawks turned in their best-ever playoff performance since the franchise moved to Atlanta, and that creates buzz around the team that hasn’t existed since at least 2015.