Are Hawks built for back-to-back? The experts are divided

The reigning champions may look a little different from the team that ended a two-decade drought, but former Hawks champion Damon Lowery believes they still have the firepower to go back-to-back.

“They have retooled,” he said on NBL Overtime. “Davo Hickey gets the car keys given to him by head coach Justin Tatum.

“JaQuori (McLaughlin) is gonna come off the bench and that’s ok. He doesn’t have an ego, he’s gonna get major minutes… he fits that mould that Justin Tatum likes… a 6’4” scoring guard.”

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Despite losing key contributors Trey Kell III, Hyunjung Lee and Lachie Olbrich, who played vital roles in their Game 5 win over Melbourne, the Hawks reloaded by securing some major off-season firepower.

“Then you bring in JaVale McGee,” Lowery added. “Who is gonna be a pterodactyl… that’s probably gonna be defensive player of the year.”

While Lowery backs his former team to rise to the challenge again, Derek Rucker remains more measured in his outlook.

“They lose a lot of talent,” Rucker said.

“Now let’s see how Justin Tatum is able to bring this crew together… a lot of new pieces and he doesn’t have the benefit of that continuity.

“This is gonna be one of the most intriguing teams to watch across NBL26.”

The Hawks will head to Singapore to compete in the Intercontinental Cup before officially beginning their title defence.