August 22, 2005 -- If there's one thing you can say about the Atlanta Hawks, it's that they have upside -- the measure of future greatness for young athletes these days.

Add Joe Johnson -- acquired in a controversial sign-and-trade deal with the Phoenix Suns -- to the talented mix.

Johnson will be leading the younger, more talented, Hawks. Scott Cunningham/NBAE/Getty Images

THE NUMBER 23.2 The Hawks are currently the youngest team in the Southeast Division with an average age of 23.2 years. 2004-05 ROSTER STATUS UNDER CONTRACT Josh Childress, Jason Collier, Tony Delk, Al Harrington, Royal Ivey, Donta Smith, Josh Smith FREE AGENTS Peja Drobnjak, Tom Gugliotta, Tyronn Lue, Michael Stewart, Kevin Willis PLAYERS ADDED NBA DRAFT Cenk Akyol (59), Salim Stoudamire (31), Marvin Williams (2) FREE AGENTS Zaza Pachulia (Milwaukee) TRADES Joe Johnson (Phoenix) PLAYERS LOST FREE AGENTS TRADES Boris Diaw (Phoenix) WAIVED Obinna Ekezie, James Thomas 2005-06 PROJECTED STARTERS GUARDS Joe Johnson, Josh Childress FORWARDS Josh Smith, Marvin Williams CENTER Zaza Pachulia

Johnson, who, aside from a bad fall in the playoffs last year resulting in a fractured left orbital bone, is amazingly durable and has continued to improve and turn in solid numbers across the board. Starting all 82 games last year in Phoenix, to extend his regular season consecutive-games-played streak to 276, the 6-7 swingman registered his best campaign, tallying 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

"Joe has tremendous upside and provides our franchise with a player whose talents are worthy of All-Star consideration,” General Manager Billy Knight said introducing Johnson. “He has the versatility to play several positions for Coach (Mike) Woodson."

Johnson's versatility will certainly be called upon in Atlanta, where he'll join Al Harrington, Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Marvin Williams and Donta Smith -- all young players essentially of the same mold. Johnson, however, will make the move to point guard on his new team.

The Hawks' roster features many similar players because it has primarily been constructed using high draft picks in recent years. And, as with Johnson at the point, the youthful team will again require plenty of on the job training.

At the start of the 2004-05 season, the Hawks roster boasted five players over the age of 30, including 42-year-old Kevin Willis. The current Hawks squad has one, Tony Delk, as the average age of the team has dipped to 23.2 -- the youngest in the Southeast Division.

In terms of experience, Atlanta, at an average of 2.58 seasons played, would also be at the bottom of the division if it weren't for Charlotte, where players average a mere 1.89 seasons experience.

While the Hawks are likely to get older and more experienced when rosters are finalized at the season's start, the numbers are a telling tale: The Hawks, despite their potential, will go through their share of growing pains.

Some of those pains could include not having a real point guard on the floor, but, remember, a team is capable of finding success without a true 'one' running the show. Most recently, the Lakers captured three straight titles with Kobe Bryant handling the ball most of the time. Sure, Kobe had Shaq down low. Johnson won't, but will have to do what others playing out of position have had to do: Bring the ball up court, avoid turnovers and get the team in its offensive set.

If Johnson finds success at the point, the team is likely to encounter difficulty in the post, where the Hawks are really the only team in the division without a proven presence at the pivot. The Heat have Shaq. The Wizards have Brendan Haywood. Even last year's rookie double-double machines -- Dwight Howard and Emeka Okafor -- are holding court in the Southeast Division. The Hawks? Right now they're looking to Zaza Pachulia and Jason Collier.

Pachulia comes to the Hawks this season after spending the last two years in Milwaukee and Orlando, combining to average 4.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in only 15.5 minutes per game. Pachulia has showed some promise in limited action and Atlanta's lack of size will provide the third year center significantly more playing time than he would find on almost any other roster.

So, while the team is loaded with promising young players standing in the 6-7 to 6-9 range, its shortcomings clearly lie in age and experience -- which could directly correspond to another high lottery pick when the 2006 NBA Draft rolls around.