The Atlanta Hawks finished first in the East in 2015 with an outstanding record of 60-22 before taking a sizeable step back last season. They finished the 2016 season with a 48-34 record while securing the fourth seed in the East. They also took an early exit from the playoffs this season. Ultimately, Atlanta decided to make a few roster moves during the offseason to help them regain their 2015 form.

Superman in Atlanta: Dwight Howard and the Hawks

The Hawks signed Dwight Howard to a three-year deal before letting Al Horford walk in free agency. Howard is coming off his lowest scoring season since his rookie year. That has more to do with the way the Rockets were featuring him on offense, though, as he shot 62.6% from the field, which is the best of his career. Howard averaged only 8.5 shot attempts per game, which is almost guaranteed to increase in Atlanta, where Al Horford took 12.8 shot attempts per game last season. Howard was frustrated with his offensive role in Houston and stated that it would be important to have an increased role this next season. Paul Millsap and Dennis Schroder will lead the Atlanta offense, but there should be plenty of opportunities for Howard to score, as well. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him score between 16.0 and 18.0 points per game this season.

Howard will also bring a new rebounding presence to the Hawks team. Paul Millsap led the Hawks in rebounding last season, which helps explain why they were the third worst rebounding team in the NBA. Howard should have no problems averaging double digit rebounds per game this season. The Hawks do not have elite size outside of Howard and he will be able to patrol the paint on defense. Last season, Horford averaged 7.3 rebounds per game, and Howard’s rebound percentage was nearly double Horford’s last season. Howard has averaged a double double every season in his career, and he will easily be able to do that once again this year.  While the FT% will still be bad, fantasy owners in a situation to ignore that could be in for some vintage Dwight.

Dennis Schroder is another winner of the Hawks offseason plans. Atlanta traded Jeff Teague to the Pacers and in exchange received the 12th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. This will open up minutes for Schroder, whose only competition for minutes is Jarrett Jack, who is 32 years old and coming off a torn ACL and meniscus. Last season, Schroder averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per 36 minutes. At only 23 years old, he isn’t done developing, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Schroder take another step forward, as he has in each of his first three seasons. He’ll have the proverbial “keys” to the offense, and the Hawks must be more than confident in Schroder’s potential, as they traded their former All Star point guard (albeit one who had reportedly asked to be traded) to allow him to slide into the starting lineup.

The Hawks added three more bodies to their roster through the NBA Draft. Taurean Prince and DeAndre Bembry were both first round picks, while Isaia Cordinier was selected in the second round. Cordinier has great potential, but he’s likely to spend the season overseas and will be a non-factor for the Hawks this season.

Taurean Prince was the Hawks first selection on draft night, and he was the player taken with the pick they received in the Jeff Teague trade. Prince spent four years at Baylor and he will be ready to contribute for Atlanta immediately. With that being said, the Hawks tend to ease rookies into big minutes, so he likely won’t have much fantasy upside this season. He has yet to play in the Summer League because the trade took some time to go through, but Prince in a defensive player that has displayed an ability to fill the stat sheet at Baylor. The Hawks hope to groom him into a DeMarre Carroll type player, but he'll be buried behind Kent Bazemore, Kyle Korver, and Thabo Sefolosha on the wing, and he'll likely be a non-factor unless an injury occurs this season.

DeAndre Bembry is another prospect that spent multiple years in college, and is ready to contribute immediately. He displayed an elite ability to fill the stat sheet at St. Joseph’s, and he continued to display that upside through two games in the Las Vegas Summer League. Bembry is shooting 50% from beyond the arc in Summer League, although it is a very limited sample size. Still, it is certainly encouraging after Bembry shot only 31.2% from the three-point line in college. Similarly to Prince, Bembry will likely need an injury to a wing player to make any type of impact for the Hawks this season.

Not all of the Hawks' big offseason moves brought in new players, though. Kent Bazemore was a free agent for a few days before the Hawks signed him to a 4 year, $70 million contract with a player option on the fourth year. Since the Hawks allowed Al Horford to walk, someone is going to have to pick up some of his offensive duties. While Howard will certainly receive the ball in the post, Bazemore could get a couple more shots per game from beyond the arc. Bazemore is a player that didn’t have a great usage rating last season, but he will be touching the ball much more on offense this season. He can contribute in multiple categories and he’s an efficient player, as well. The Hawks are clearly showing a ton of confidence in their young core group of players.

The Hawks will have somewhat of a new team this season, but Paul Millsap will still be the focal point. Dwight Howard will also fit well with the team, as he will have essentially the entire paint to work his post game. He is a bit of a sleeper pick in fantasy leagues, and he could return to the player he was in Orlando now that he's finally not on a team that will want to get him involved, instead of playing with a ball hog like Kobe Bryant or James Harden. Dennis Schroder and Kent Bazemore are also high upside fantasy players this season. They will both see an uptick in usage this season, and they are more than talented enough to reward the Hawks for believing in their young players. Atlanta’s rookies can be avoided in fantasy, though, as they will need an injury to become fantasy relevant.