4 Teams the Raptors need to pass in the standings to reach the Playoffs

No. 3: Atlanta Hawks

In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors finished 10th and claimed the final spot in the Play-In Tournament with a 46-36 record. In the East, the Atlanta Hawks had just a 36-46 record but still finished 10th and made it into the Play-In Tournament. The teams at the top of both conferences are equally strong, but the middle of the East is much softer than the West.

That's certainly to Toronto's advantage in trying to move up the ladder this season. If the Raptors merely want a slim chance at making the playoffs, reaching the Play-In Tournament at least gives them hope entering the postseason. Win two games in a row and they're in. History suggests the 10th seed has very little chance of winning two consecutive games on the road to make it into the 8th spot in the playoffs, but it's at least possible.

That first goal requires passing the Atlanta Hawks, who may be better or worse than last year; it's not immediately clear. On the one hand, they moved on from Dejounte Murray and got back an oft-injured backup big in Larry Nance Jr. and a shooting-challenged guard prospect in Dyson Daniels. There is upside to be tapped in Daniels, but the Hawks didn't maximize a "win-now" return package.

At the same time, the combination of Murray and Trae Young was so bad, that deal could be addition by subtraction. Young is not good enough to lead a contending team deep into the playoffs, but he raises a team's offensive floor enough that it's hard to be truly terrible with him at the helm. And while they held onto the No. 1 overall pick that they won int he draft lottery, selecting French wing Zaccharie Risacher, they also did not move off of veterans like Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic.

The Hawks seem poised to try and compete next season while also giving their key young players plenty of playing time; expect Daniels, Risacher, Onyeka Okognwu and Jalen Johnson to all figure prominently in their rotation. That likely means a season similar to last year, and perhaps slightly worse; that paints an improvement of about 10 wins from last season for Toronto to move past them.