Brad Rowland here, the host of the daily Locked On Hawks podcast, with your daily Locked On Hawks newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Hawks and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
The Start of a Back-to-Back in Los Angeles
Dec 6, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter (12) is guarded by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis/Brett Davis-Imagn Images
On Friday, Dec. 6, Trae Young connected on a key three-pointer in overtime to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers and push the Atlanta Hawks’ winning streak to six consecutive games. Four weeks later, the Hawks and the Lakers will meet for the second and final time during the 2024-25 season, with Atlanta looking to pick up another “double win.”
For the uninitiated, the Hawks own the Lakers’ unprotected first round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which arrived via New Orleans as part of the deal that sent Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans this summer. As such, Atlanta is heavily invested in the progress of the Lakers this season, and in the two head-to-head battles, the Hawks can notch victories that mean a little bit more than the typical victory over the course of 82 regular season games.
This matchup is also the start of a back-to-back set for Atlanta in Los Angeles, with the team’s first-ever trip to the Intuit Dome on the horizon on Saturday against the Clippers. The Hawks stumbled in Denver on Wednesday, snapping a winning streak and falling to 1-1 on an extended road trip. Overall, a split in the two Los Angeles games would be a reasonably successful outcome, but Atlanta surely wants to get greedy with a sweep.
From an injury standpoint, there is a great deal of uncertainty ahead of Friday’s matchup. Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, and Bogdan Bogdanovic are all listed as questionable for the Hawks, leaving three of the team’s top seven players in limbo. That, of course, includes Atlanta’s leading duo of Young and Johnson, and the team’s quality drops drastically if either is unable to play.
For the Lakers, it is the second night of a back-to-back, though Thursday’s game also took place at home. Anthony Davis missed that contest for Los Angeles, leaving some modicum of uncertainty for the Hawks game, and it would be wise to keep an eye on injury information throughout the day.
Atlanta projects as a small underdog at Crypto.com Arena, but this is a winnable spot for the Hawks... with a bit of extra incentive in play when remembering the draft implications.
Jan 2, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) warms-up before the game against the Indiana Pacers at Kaseya Center. | Jim Rassol/Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
After weeks of downplay by his agent and denials by Heat president Pat Riley, Jimmy Butler has finally said the quiet part out loud to a room of postgame media about his future in Miami.
“What do I want to see happen? I want to see me get my joy back from playing basketball, wherever that may be — we’ll find out here pretty soon — but I want to get my joy back. I’m happy here, off the court, but I want to be back to somewhere dominant. I want to hoop and I want to help this team win. Right now, I’m not doing that,” Butler said.
In a quick follow up, Butler was asked whether he thought he could get his joy back with the Heat.
“Probably not,” he said without any hesitation.
As a Butler in Miami believer, my surprise stems from the state of the team. That the front office has let the Heat’s roster slowly erode to the strange place of competitive limbo they find themselves in. Losing key role players, like Max Strus and Caleb Martin, plus offensive gap fillers like Gabe Vincent, has left the Heat without much depth. The undeniable talent of Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro — who is having one of his best seasons, despite it all — and sophomore Jamie Jaquez Jr. is there, and for years Duncan Robinson has worked to be whatever the team needs him to be, but the scrappy longevity and the plucky punches this team was capable of pulling two and three seasons ago are gone.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Home and Away
Analysis The Hawks’ defense struggled to contain Nikola Jokic, who showcased his versatile playmaking. Atlanta’s challenges in countering Denver’s offensive strategies were evident throughout the game. (Peachtree Hoops)
Milestone Trae Young continues to be a fan favorite, as evidenced by his strong showing in the All-Star voting. His consistent excellence solidifies his place among the NBA elite. (Soaring Down South)
Milestone Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Jayson Tatum lead the first voting results for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game, highlighting the league’s top performers. (Bleacher Report)
Prediction Analyzing the 2025 NBA Mock Draft, potential picks and player comparisons provide insights into the future landscape of the league. (Bleacher Report)
Honor Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards calls Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the “MVP of the NBA.”(ESPN)
Injury Pistons Jaden Ivey undergoes surgery to repair his broken fibula, and his earliest timeline for return is four weeks. (SportsNet)
Watch Charles Barkley calls out JJ Redick over NBA ratings comments, “dead man walking.” (Awful Announcing)
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Jimmy Butler’s Trade Request Shakes Up Miami Heat & Fantasy Basketball
Jan 2, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) looks on from the bench during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol/Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
I’ve been hearing whispers about potential issues between Butler and the Heat organization for months now. Sources close to the situation indicated that the Heat were hesitant to offer Butler a contract extension, which reportedly left him feeling undervalued and frustrated.
Butler’s recent press conference comments, where he stated he may never regain his joy for playing basketball while with the Heat, seem to confirm these tensions. His on-court performance has also noticeably dipped, with Butler appearing disengaged and putting up subpar numbers.
From a fantasy perspective, Butler’s potential departure raises questions about who might step up in his absence. However, looking at games where Butler has been out this season, no clear beneficiary has emerged. Players like Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyler Herro, and Duncan Robinson have failed to consistently produce starter-level fantasy numbers in Butler’s absence.
Click the button below to get the inside scoop on a rookie center’s breakout game.
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Hawks podcasts.
Winning streak comes to screeching halt for Hawks in Denver Topics include the absence of Jalen Johnson, Atlanta’s widespread defensive struggles, productive offense from Trae Young and De’Andre Hunter, an ugly third quarter, and much more.
Larry Nance Jr. injury, Zaccharie Risacher’s rookie season, and Happy New Year Topics include an update on Larry Nance Jr.'s hand injury, Zaccharie Risacher’s rookie season to date, the Hawks signing Daeqwon Plowden to a Two-Way deal, the struggling Sacramento Kings, and much more.
Hawks create havoc, bludgeon Raptors for 4th straight victory The episode focuses on Sunday’s win for the Atlanta Hawks over the Toronto Raptors, headlined by Atlanta’s havoc creation even without Dyson Daniels, an utterly dominant game from Trae Young, De’Andre Hunter continuing to roll, the return of Onyeka Okongwu, and much more.
