Dejounte Murray on Hawks playoff aspirations: '[Play-in] not an option'

The Hawks have been a part of each of the last two play-in tournaments, but Dejounte Murray says that’s not an option this year.

I like the confidence from Murray, who displays the type of attitude that fans gravitate toward, but it’s time to be realistic. What has this club done to inspire that kind of belief? I truly don’t have an answer for you.

A new season brings optimism, and Quin Snyder reinforces that hope, but I’m not sure running it back with an eerily similar roster is going to net better results.

I do believe Snyder’s impact, and a bigger role for A.J. Griffin, Onyeka Okongwu, and Jalen Johnson should improve the team’s effectiveness. However, by how much?

Dejounte Murray signed a team-friendly extension this offseason, so he’s clearly a believer in what the new regime is capable of, even if fans aren’t.

The Eastern Conference features a number of championship-caliber teams. Let’s assume that the Celtics, Bucks, Heat, and 76ers take the top four seeds in the playoffs. That leaves only a couple of spots to avoid being included in the play-in tournament.

I’m not saying the Hawks can’t be one of those teams, but I’m not confident in this organization making strides after an extraordinarily mediocre season last year with basically the same roster.