The Atlanta Hawks will host the Houston Rockets at State Farm Arena on Wednesday.

The Hawks seemed as if they were ready to trade at least one of John Collins or Clint Capela in the offseason, but that didn’t happen. The addition of Dejounte Murray gives Atlanta a massive upgrade in the backcourt and it also allows Trae Young to play freely since these guards can easily complement and co-exist with each other, but the fact that they also lost players such as Danilo Gallinari, Kevin Huerter and Gorgui Dieng, three names that, on a bad night, were able to provide minutes and specific traits off the bench. It seems as if this will be a make-or-break season for the Hawks, and while starting against the Rockets is a winnable game on paper, this team has been very inconsistent in the past and will have to rely – almost exclusively – on Young to make another playoff push. The Hawks ended last season with a 43-39 record, good for eighth in the East.

The Rockets are primed to be one of the worst teams in the Western Conference once again, but it’s not as if things are not looking upwards for the Texas-based franchise. Houston is filled with young, talented players that are ready to takeover the league by storm, and as Ja’Sean Tate, they are not going to be pushed around and are looking to show aggressiveness every time they step into the court. The Rockets lost Christian Wood, but they added two rookies that are ready to be part of an NBA rotation right away in Jabari Smith and Tari Eason, while also featuring veterans such as Eric Gordon, Tate and Derrick Favors that can provide solid minutes and value at the deadline. Still, this team will only go as far as the duo of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter can take it. The Rockets ended last season with a 20-62 record, good for last in the Western Conference.