By: JJ Lanier

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Even though we are in the thick of the football season, for basketball junkies, like myself, there is added excitement since the start of the basketball season is just around the corner.

For fans of the Atlanta Hawks there may not be much to cheer about this upcoming season when it comes to their overall record. However, there will be plenty of identifiers that will give them an idea of where their team is headed.

The first person I’m watching is new head coach, Lloyd Pierce. When whatever soap opera revolving around Mike Budenholzer came to end and the Hawks decided to rebuild from the ground floor up, it made sense to bring in a coach with a reputation for working with young players.

Not only did Atlanta get that with Pierce, but he also knows what it’s like to work through those “growing pains” having been in Philadelphia the past five years.

Much like when Brad Stevens was hired in Boston a few years ago, Pierce won’t be judged on his win/loss record right away, or at least he shouldn’t be.

What Travis Schlenk, Atlanta’s general manager will be focusing on are the “how’s” of Pierce’s coaching:

How does Pierce relate to his players?

How does he use his rotation?

How does the first year coach react to particular end of game situations?

The way Pierce handles himself in these instances among, I don’t know, a hundred others he’ll encounter during the season, will speak louder than their final record.

Obviously, no matter how good Pierce may be leading the Hawks from the sideline, ultimately his fate rests with the players in the floor (come for my pop culture references, stay for my obvious analysis). In Atlanta’s case, most of those players are still acclimating themselves to the league.

Atlanta has a nice core of young players, starting with the trio of Taurean Prince, John Collins, and Trae Young.

Prince may never be an All-Star caliber player, but he’s solid on both ends of the floor and seems like the type of player who will fit in well with what Pierce wants to do.

Collins tends to remind me of a more athletic Al Horford, back at the start of Horford’s career.

Collins doesn’t have the array of offensive moves his elder does, but he does have the potential to get there. I really liked his game when he was at Wake Forest and look forward to seeing what he can over the next few years.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about Trae Young. While I understand the Stephen Curry comparisons to when Steph was coming into the league, Young is still a big gamble.

You could argue the player the Hawks traded away Luka Doncic for Young. Luka Doncic- has the highest floor, while Young has the greatest potential to be a bust.

Personally, I can see him averaging a double double in points and turnovers, just as easily as points and assists.

It would be easy to chalk this season up to a learning experience and spend time doing other things besides following a team that may not win 20 games. The reality though is this season is extremely important.

The Hawks are starting to put together the pieces they hope will bring them back to prominence over the next couple of years. This year will go a long way in determining if they’re starting with a solid foundation, or if they’re going to have to go back to the drawing board.