One of the most frequent comments from Hawks fans on stories relating to the team on The Athletic and on social media is: “Why are the Hawks winning?”



The comment is asked because, normally, the worse off a team’s record is, the more ping-pong balls the team will receive during the NBA draft lottery. For teams like the Hawks, lottery night is arguably the most important date of the year because it can completely change the outlook of the franchise, especially in a draft like this one in which it’s clear that Duke’s Zion Williamson is the likely crown jewel that the winning team will select.



Atlanta is 8-9 in its recent stretch before embarking on a brutal two-week road trip that starts with the team heading to Chicago on Tuesday before heading west for five games and culminating in a game in Washington D.C. the day after Super Bowl Sunday. As it stands now, the Hawks, with a record of 14-32, have the fifth-best lottery odds behind...