The Ultimate Hawks Team

In this series, I assemble what I believe is the greatest team possible for each franchise. In this specific video, we're looking at the Atlanta Hawks.
5 starters, 5 backups, and 3 rotations players. A total of 13 roster spots on each Ultimate Team. It's not just about talent, but it's about building a team that works and gels together.
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The game of Basketball has been my passion since I was 5 years old. I grew up as a kid watching my dad's recorded VHS tapes of playoff games through the 70s and 80s, and collected all the Basketball cards. Something about the game and what it represents just hooked me from a very young age.
My love for the game only continues to grow as time goes on. I love studying and analyzing the game, with an unbiased perspective. Feel free to subscribe, follow me on social media, and celebrate this amazing game and it's rich history with me!
I post videos every week on NBA history, predictions, hypothetical scenarios and current NBA topics.
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Intro Music: Turn On - RW Smith • Turn On - RW Smith (No... ​​​​​​​​​​
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#nba #basketball #hoops

[@jonnyarnett]

Which Ultimate team are you waiting to see?

[@pranksterboy8371]

My heat! Should be next

[@nicholaschan4481]

Lakers

[@hardwoodgems]

Sonics/Thunder and Indiana Pacers.

[@100handicapper]

Maybe something like ultimate all NBA team of the decade for each decade since the 60s. Just a random thought.

[@100handicapper]

And of course Lakers, but I'm assuming that would be Johnny's last one in the series.

[@ChunkyLeo01]

Let's go, so glad you haven't abandoned this series

[@Sincere529]

As a basketball fan, this series really helps educate on lesser known players who were incredible in their eras. Great work.

[@onlyfacts3178]

WELL it doesnt..he forgot J,DREW and K.WILLIS whowas better then MILLSAP and AL HOFORD and MOOKIE was way better then LENNY...

[@juliusjones2487]

Steve Smith over Trae Young.

[@juliusjones2487]

Steve Smith and Joe Johnson as the starting backcourt.

[@Sincere529]

@@juliusjones2487 who runs point? I’m for both players, but not together in back court. Both are more buckets than distribution.

[@onlyfacts3178]

@@juliusjones2487 S.Smith and Joe Johnson together and better then Maravich...and i not better then Níque Wilkins as well..

[@user-cn8nu6lq4w]

Always happy to see Dominique get his credit.

[@defcon4203]

Mookie Blaylock is really underrated. Not only was he a defensive monster, he was a knockdown shooter. One of the best 3 point shooters of the 90s. Would have loved to see Steve smith and tree Rollins on the roster

[@jmckie45]

What I love about 2k being a modern fan, is that I can put this lineup together to see how great it can be. The Hawks have had great talent throughout St. Louis and Atlanta. I'm biased but this is my favorite Ultimate Team video so far.

[@williamcorliss3664]

We appreciate you keeping this video idea going. Can't wait for the thunder/sonics.

[@RVered]

Somewhere in the distance, you can hear Shaq making hawk noises.

[@kevinhouse4376]

Jonny, I'm really glad you put Maravich and Pettit on the first team and honored Sweet Lou Hudson with a second-team berth. Bellamy's best years were with Baltimore long before he made it to Atlanta, so I understand why he isn't ranked higher. However, I think I would have to find a place in the top 13 for Kevin Willis. Also, I'm really surprised John Drew isn't mentioned as he had several super productive years with Atlanta. Is it because of his drug issues?

[@ChunkyLeo01]

A lot of overlooked players on this team, they'd be sneakily competitive in a league of all time teams

[@fortynights1513]

Gotta be honest, I didn’t know Maravich played for them.

[@vicentecampos2893]

The starting 5 is very solid. They could play against anybody.

[@TheIcemanthomas]

Honorable mention to Josh smith, Kyle korver, and smitty.

[@flywithabel]

Not sure if anyone mentioned this ... but adding a head coach would make it better. But the series is great! Keep up the great videos!

[@Dibi-Jo]

Great idea

[@Thatkid461]

Goated series Cant wait for the ultimate team tournament

[@travismcnamara8919]

Haven't watched yet, but thank you for this series and all videos within!

[@brandenbyrd5239]

A Pete/Trae backcourt with Dominique would be one of the most exciting teams ever. That’s a showtime-tier lineup.

[@MatthewWilliams-tv6cy]

You should do a video of how good Alonzo Mourning in his prime was you never hear his name thrown in on best bigs in the 90s when he was a dominant 2 way player

[@joel8692]

He was definitely one of the best centers in the 90s. But he gets over looked when compared to the other star centers of that era because Ewing , Hakeem, Shaq, Robinson were all better than him offensively. He was great offensively but not as great as those guys. Alonzo was an elite defender and rebounder tho

[@MatthewWilliams-tv6cy]

@@joel8692 exactly he gets forgotten because the 90s was like 5 of the best bigs ever and he's forgotten

[@87alock]

1:33. That little shimmy Trae Young does had me rollin. I do the same thing right before I'm about to a set of deadlifts

[@lamontejamison302]

Nice video Jonny, really good research and I personally thank you for giving Dominique his proper respect & notification as one of the best scorers of his era! Yeah Kevin Willis should have made the team somewhere in there, Kevin Willis could play power forward or center both extremely effectively A double double machine (points and rebounds) that was a solid defender, rim protector in an NBA Eastern Conference that included Charles Oakley, Dennis Rodman, John Salley, Horace Grant, Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson, Kevin McHale, Anthony Mason, Rick Mahorn, Bill Laimbeer etc etc etc And almost forgot to mention Kevin Willis won an NBA Championship 🏆 at or around the age of 40yrs old backing up David Robinson & Tim Duncan on the San Antonio Spurs (I forget the exact year, I believe it was 2003)...

[@deviousnate7238]

Mookie Blaylock! Glad to see him get some love.

[@teelyttle2480]

Absolutely love this series!!!

[@stress.relief]

i love this series

[@markjackson6431]

Walt Bellamy is right up there with Bob Lanier as the most underrated player ever

[@catherinelynnfraser2001]

Love this series. Thank you for highlighting the many remarkable players of yesterday and today.

[@sethtate2079]

Thanks for not forgetting mookie. Dude was great.

[@ludlowbuckley5373]

Love this series! Good work J.A. 👏🏾

[@tdude3164]

Hey! Glad you are running a simulation at the end, I was thinking that'd be cool

[@leriasmichail9183]

Love this series!!

[@thescarfguy]

Still loving this series

[@Samoaplaya]

This team got hella bucket getters

[@animeguitarguy]

Great work as always 👏

[@cozyboykel]

I’ve watched every vid in this series so good

[@1sk_4l71]

I’m really excited for the is video being a hawks fan keep up the good work

[@emceeschwartz]

Awesome series and always good video. Can't wait for the 2k simulation of all of this.

[@hardwoodgems]

Yooooo yes!

[@hardwoodgems]

Jonny, I can't wait to see these teams face each other during an 82 game season, and a crazy playin tourney with the later fo, fo, fo, fo, 2-2-1-1-1 in each series formats. Even if you don't run a simulation, I would be down to hear your hypothetical take on what the outcome would be.

[@alex4833]

Very cool video, Jonny! Pistol Pete, Trae, and Dominique would be such a fun trio to watch. Mutombo was a great center. Absolutely one of the best defenders in basketball history. It was great learning about Wilkens and Petit. I read a bit about them before and learned more here. I did not hear of Lou Hudson and Cliff Hagen but enjoyed learning about them both here :). I remember Joe Johnson and having him on a fantasy team for his shooting. I forgot that Malone was on the Hawks as I knew him more for his time as a Rocket and 76er. He was amazing and it's cool how he still did so well in his later years in the league. Agreed about Horford. He would definitely be a great 3rd option. Cool picks. I agree that they would be solid at offense and struggle defensively. They would be a blast to watch though :) Awesome video! Have a great day :)

[@jasongaines7284]

Love the Chanel bro, I think adding a coach to this series would go well.

[@andrius11]

Steve Smith!

[@user-jw5qj8kv2y]

Head coach Doc Rivers was also an NBA player who played for the Hawks when he was younger. Kevin Willis is an underrated NBA player.

[@fortynights1513]

Fun fact about Doc Rivers: He never made it past the second round as a player.

[@charlestucker7955]

Best basketball channel on yt hands down

[@MrDmbarbosa]

Another great video and nice team. I think i would just switch Horford for Walt Bellamy or Tree Rollins for more defense.

[@johncraig4820]

Bellamy would be a starter for me. It's between him and Malone but Malone's best years had passed. Crazy Bellamy didn't even get an honorable mention.

[@kevinhouse4376]

@@johncraig4820 Bellamy is included in Jonny's honorable mention list (last name at bottom right). I also initially thought Jonny was underrating Bellamy, but a quick look at his career stats shows that his best years were with Baltimore. Having said that, you are right that Malone's best years also were before he ever made it to Atlanta.

[@johncraig4820]

@@kevinhouse4376 Bellamy was 30 his first year in Atlanta same as Mutumbo. Moses was 33 and in his last all star year. Apologies for not catching the Bellamy mention. I think Horford gets dropped and Mutumbo comes off the bench. Better offense without losing a lot on defense with either Bellamy or Malone.

[@adrenalineunlimited]

This is the entry so far where my opinion has varied the greatest

[@michaelspaulding838]

I love this series so much and I can't wait for the simulation

[@im2hastyle]

If Nique ever played with a 2nd prime star, there would be a totally different GOAT conversation today.

[@ktbeatty]

I’m a diehard Laker fan. Outside of my Lakers, I can’t think of another player I enjoyed watching more than ‘Nique, Jordan included. His 4th quarter battle with Bird in game 7 is as good as it gets for a fan. However, he was simply too indifferent to the defensive end to get himself, or the ultra talented Hawks teams of his prime, to get to the upper tier. If he had a guy like Mookie or Dikembo, maybe. ‘Nique had some great teammates (Kevin Willis, Doc, Moses, Theus, Carr).

[@booradley5101]

Cliff hagan not being a starter is absolutely insane second best player on the only Atlanta championship team averaged 25 10 and 5 as a small forward in the 50s/60s and his championship was agains bill russel(the only championship bill Russell lost)

[@zx9green791]

Love the series

[@unhpsychology3909]

When you said “ ‘Nique was known for his dunks in NBA games and…” I thought you were going to say “and NBA Jam”. He was a beast in that game. Boom Shaka Laka!

[@user-yw3si8hd2q]

😮all time heat

[@davidschmidt1793]

I also thought about Tree Rollins,Kevin Willis,Jason Terry, Abdur Rahim and Steve Smith. Really good selection though, hard to disagree with it.

[@michaelbritt7397]

🐐 content

[@idiotengineer3925]

I just think it would be so fascinating to see a 1950s player be teleported onto a team with the rest of these guys

[@letsgoooo9200]

This team is built for highlight reels

[@Romar00]

Good vid let’s see the pistons next 🔥🔥

[@Bigfitz2]

Nice to see lou hudson get some light 🫡

[@brandenbyrd5239]

Fun fact for all of my fellow grunge lovers out there: Pearl Jam were originally named after Mookie Blaylock, since their bass player, Jeff Ament, was a huge basketball fan. They eventually abandoned the name, but made reference to him with the title of their first album, Ten, Mookie’s jersey number.

[@Dibi-Jo]

As a Hawks fan: Iso Joe was a good on ball defender as well. Strong as an ox. Wilkins may be the most beloved Hawk ever, but Bob Petit is without a doubt the greatest Hawk ever. Also, I love the Petit/Hagan chemistry, but Steve Smith gets my vote over Hagan. Great vid!

[@gavinvandraven]

I’d like to see an all time teams where the players can only be on the first team they played for, represent only that team, or the team they played the longest for if they were a journeyman their first few years. This would make an all time league with no duplicate players, and you’d have to make some really hard choices. Wilt on the Warriors, 76ers or Lakers? Kareem on the Bucks or Lakers? Lebron on Cavs or Heat? You could do first team they played for them 2nd team and 3rd so there’s 3 different build scenarios.

[@JulianLopez-xo4wz]

I remember Moonie in the 1990s. Never heard of the Hall of Famer Lou Hudson, or old time Cliff Hagan knew they won Championship though. Used to watch the Pistol Pete all the time in middle school in the 2000s.

[@owensmith2137]

I got my wish! I saw every player I expected to see, (the starting 5 plus Blaylock) and more. I think the lack of defence will be a problem though.

[@chrisl5711]

Looking forward to that 2K simulation. Go lakers!

[@michaelbritt7397]

Oh, I am here for the 2K Sim. I hope you put as much time into getting those initial rosters right as you do making these videos. I was thinking how awesome it would be if 2K would spend the money for the retired players and get Chuck and whoever else in the game to be able to actually do this, but they were still probably botch it considering the quality that you’re putting into this. I doubt they could match.

[@justinallen1092]

If you ran Mookie and Mutombo at yhe same time, thay would clean up defensive issues and could win them a series

[@GoldenChild27]

Steve Smith, or Kyle Korver should have definitely been your additional slot players

[@thinkbeyond4914]

I'd easily take Mookie Blaylock over Trae in the starting line-up. Having such a liability on defence is impractical when you have other great scorers and passers on the floor.

[@Dibi-Jo]

Agreed.

[@zephyrrrr4813]

Its going to be interesting seeing the suns mavs and warriors because i think those teams are going to be way stronger than people expect

[@dev.laball3674]

That’s a lethal shooting backcourt

[@classicrockbeagle]

That was a good list. I'm a firm believer in there's only one basketball, so having Mutombo was a great call. Btw, Lenny Wilkens was a top flight defensive guard for his era

[@samismith5476]

I definitely agree with the teo starting bigs, but I think Kevin Willis and Tree Rollins deserved the backup spots ahead of Millsap and Horford

[@sirbradfordofhousejones]

Maravich and Wilkins together. CHEF’S KISS

[@hardbodytv7706]

Iso Joe one of the greatest nicknames of all time!

[@user-zf8rh9ck3h]

Kevin Willis was deserving of this list and thanks for your contributions

[@alejanoelallen1952]

🏀

[@johnmincel5278]

Im loving this series. I wouldve went with Steve Smith as second string SG and definitely Willis over Horford

[@michaelsloane9955]

You can legitimately argue that EVERY player on this roster is underrated. In a traditional eight team per conference playoffs I think that the Hawks qualify. The Celtics are the 1 seed, then the Bulls are the. 2 seed. The Bucks and 76ers are 3-4 in either order. I see the Heat being the 5 seed. The Cavilers and Magic are 6 and 7 in either order. Then I see this Hawks team taking the 8 seed.

[@gelatojack202]

Do the wizards next

[@richardscott9973]

The hawks are a dangerous little team....the offence could outscore a lot of others...

[@ltrigga219]

Hell yeah, Mookie! But no Steve Smith in the top 10 rotation??

[@hunterwade9030]

I think teams without duplicates would be cool. Would be sone tough choices for guys like Melo,PG, and others but it would be interesting

[@sidseverino]

I think it would be better if there's no duplicate players in every team. Only one team for one player. Trae Lou Hudson Dominique Wilkins Pettit Mutombo Lenny Wilkens Joe Johnson Steve Smith Millsap Horford Blaylock Doc Rivers Hagan REMOVE: Pistol Pete (Jazz) Moses Malone (76ers)

[@Midragor]

Hawks are surprisingly good

[@MrE_]

With great passers comes great opportunities

[@jereyounger1725]

Al should've definitely been on the second unit

[@christopherr3676]

Im putting korver on this just to see him go all threezus mode against bewildered 60s n 70s dudes 😂

[@benberry792]

Do the best "Bill" team!!

[@douglasmcfarland9040]

Video idea tournament of your all time teams with subscribers voting. Then you tell us who wins using your basketball knowledge.

[@thinkbeyond4914]

I think you should clarify rules more. Are we playing with today's rules? Are we taking team chemistry into account? Because these guys would fight over shots and playing time too much. Are we using a time-machine and transporting players to play by today's rules? If yes, then Millsap is certainly better than Pettit. Unless we imagine that Pettit was born in modern times or maybe at least was given say 3 years to adjust to today's rules and playstyle. I don't know what the exact rules should be but I think you should specify them.

[@jared_deraj]

6:20 not saying this is necessarily a bad take but I don't understand this take i've heard a few times. not about joe but about a specific player being a guy you want on the floor in a close game, but not starting. you would only want him out there if he gives you the best chance to win, and if he gives you the best chance to win, why wouldn't you be starting him? does he play better on lower minutes, play better in the 4th, or what? if it's because he can get a bucket more easily than the starter but otherwise isn't the better player, that makes sense to me in a game you're trailing (not every close game) or when the starter isn't performing, but otherwise I don't get it. would like to hear your thoughts on that topic

[@Lumidon]

I think they will make the playoffs as 2k loves the hawks for some reason

[@wendyforde9303]

Who would be the head and assistant coach for each team? If every team was this talented and deep, then I think each franchises best head and assistant coach would be needed to manage the rosters to beat teams or manage leads. What do you think?

[@justinallen1092]

Rebounds and Rim Protection is definitely something this team has in spades. Also, how do you not have Korver in rotation?

[@cuzz7483]

Korver too

[@Coopercrack]

I would have moved in Josh Smith. A solid player with a more than average defensive pressence.

[@zorskins]

I need Steve Smith off the bench

[@fidanasimpson5465]

I think Lenny Wilkins should be the starting PG for the all time Hawks team.

[@king_supreme1102]

I honestly feel like Lenny Wilkins and Lou Hudson would mesh better with the starting lineup then Trae and Pete do. Both wanted to run the show for themselves.

[@killadiator1014]

mutombo would have his hands full, cause compared to the previous starting 5s the hawks lack a bit on defense

[@fortynights1513]

This is an interesting one. The Hawks’ only title was in a different city.

[@lilpenny1982]

First Team: PG: Blaylock SG: Maravich SF: Wilkins PF: Petite C: Dikembe

[@lilpenny1982]

Second Team: PG: Lenny Wilkins SG: Steve Smith SF: Joe Johnson PF: Al Horford C: Kevin Willis

[@ATroubledGreensLibrary]

❤🎉

[@sirochsittisombut1063]

The perimeter defense is likely to be weak, the offense should be lethal though