In making this list we tried to balance production, impact, and legacy against a player’s longevity with the team. That means that while Trae Young's current 2019-20 season is on pace to be the best season by ANY Hawk in 25 years, he misses the cut on this list because he's played less than a season-and-a-half in Atlanta (111 games) at the time of writing.
With that background, here's your Hawks All-Decade team for 2010-2019:
Josh Smith
When Hawks fans remember "J. Smoove" it's usually with mixed emotions. Fans hold fond memories of his aggressive style, posterizing dunks, and "Holy $h*t" weakside shot blocks, but also remember his head-scratching desire to run the point on fast breaks and his agonizing obsession with bad threes...so many bad threes. Smith started on SEVEN consecutive playoff teams, peaking in 2012-13 when he was robbed of an All-Star appearance in favor of Amare Stoudemire (who got in on pure name recognition). The Hawks cut bait after Smith's attitude started to decline the following year, and he was unable to find a long-term home before exiting the league in 2016. Smith ended his career third on the Hawks all-time blocks list (yes, ahead of Dikembe Mutumbo) and fifth all-time in steals.
Paul Millsap
When the Hawks acquired Millsap to replace Josh Smith prior to the 2013-14 season, a friend of mine who wasn't familiar with him asked me to describe his game. My response: "Imagine Josh Smith with a good attitude and a better shot selection." Millsap ended up being a steal for Atlanta, posting four consecutive All-Star appearances (tied for the most of any Hawk this decade) and anchoring the 60-win team that reached the franchise's first Eastern Conference Final. The "Anchorman" matched a quiet demeanor with a versatile offensive game, all-league defense, and a winning pedigree, and earned a price tag too hefty for the Hawks to pay entering the 2017-2018 season. He remains the only Hawk this decade to make both an All-Star team and an All-Defensive team.
Al Horford
Not only is Horford a no-brainer for the All-Decade team, he's on the short list for the Hawks all-time starting five. His career has been marked by toughness, defense versatility, and a high basketball IQ leading to four All-Star appearances and an All-NBA selection during his final six seasons in Atlanta (2010-16). Horford was one of only two Hawks this decade to make an All-NBA team and holds the undisputed crown as the best Hawks draft pick of the millennium (to this point).
Joe Johnson
"Iso Joe" gets a bad rap for the max contract he received in 2010, leading people to forget his role in six consecutive playoff appearances for the then-struggling franchise. Hawks fans remember Johnson for his clean fade, smooth handles, silky shooting stroke, underrated defense, and head-scratching inconsistency in the playoffs. Johnson made the All-Star team every year from 2007-2012 including an All-NBA selection in 2010. He is second in franchise history in made threes and has the highest scoring average (19.5) of any Hawk this decade.
Jeff Teague
Despite Teague's maddening inconsistency, he developed into an All-Star point guard as part of the legendary 60-win 2014-15 team. Teague played lead guard on five consecutive playoff teams from 2011-2016 after spending two years as Mike Bibby's understudy to start his career. He ranks fifth in franchise history in assists and is the only Hawks point guard to make an All-Star team since Mookie Blaylock in 1994.
Who did we miss? Let us know in the comments!
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