It's apt given Jerry's FT is always a largely fruitless attempt to bring a semblance of order or rationality to chaos just witnessed.

Chaotic is certainly the way to describe the Hawks season from the LaMelo show, to an injury crisis, to imports coming and going and - to top it all - a game abandoned due to rain.

Coach Matt Flinn said at time it pretty much epitomised the season he endured.

It would have been tough for a veteran coach - you only need to look at Joey Wright's presser after his side's loss to Perth to realise it doesn't get any easier - but it's helluva hand to be dealt as a rookie.

In short, there's no doubt Flinny will be a better coach because of it. One thing that's really stood out is his openess about his own learning curve.

Sunday Dech spoke about the opportunities he was given this season on Friday, saying of his coach: "he trusted us and let us really grow through error. His belief in us to go out there, make mistakes and learn from them has really propelled a lot of us this year."

It's something Flinn could easily say about his own experience; and he has. Coaches in any sport are typically loath to offer such frank self-analysis, but Flinn's admitted that he put too much on the table in terms of rotations early on.

He also admitted he was a bit too interested in impressing his veterans than the other way around - though he certainly made some moves behind closed doors that flipped that dynamic back to it's natural state.

Did the weight injuries and disruptions ultimately give him a free kick? Possibly, but there's no doubt the Hawks played better - and certainly harder - than a 5-23 record.

It's easy to call the 2020 season a development year, and it was, but it's not necessarily cut and dried. It was undoubtedly a breakout season for Sunday Dech and Angus Glover, while Sam Froling is going to be a gun when he's healthy.

Emmett Naar and Dan Grida? It's little more nuanced. There's no doubt teammates understand Naar's value given he was players' player this season.

He had a conspicuous explosion of form through a five-game stretch in the middle of the season, but his opportunities were limited either side of it.

Injury was a factor more recently but one could argue that, over the whole campaign, he had less opportunities than in his rookie year.

That was unequivocally the case for Grida. He came on late but struggled to build on an eye-catching rookie season - largely because he wasn't given the opportunity to do so.

Both are going to be great players in this league - a Mitch Creek-like trajectory isn't beyond Grida - we can only hope it is in a Hawks singlet.

Grida appears more at risk of not doing so, purely on the fact that he's the off-contract, but he'll want more chances than he got in 2020 - whether he stays or goes.

People have asked the reasonable question: can the Hawks afford to have that many guys on their roster at the same stage of development?

The answer is: they can't afford not to.

Naar and Grida are two years in, the other three have established themselves as genuine NBL players. The five of them are now Boomers.

That's been a two year process for the club, it can't afford not to get the ultimate return - and on all five.

In summary, it has been a development year, but the numbers are their black and white. It's the worst regular season record in the club's history.

Fans will accept it given the aforementioned circumstances but they won't accept a repeat - not should they. It'll put Flinn under some pressure in his sophomore year.

The talk of "next year", "paying it forward" and "growth mindset" was so persistent through the latter half of the current season. If it doesn't translate to improved fortunes next year, fans could reasonably ask what the short-term pain was all for.

That sentiment will probably come down to more than wins and losses. Import recruitment will be a big factor.

The temptation is always to recruit back-court imports in this league, but the club can't afford to limit the opportunities of it's young crop, particularly as they'll all be off-contract.

Flinn is attuned to this fact in his comments following Friday's loss to Sydney, hinting that that a "four-three, position-less player" will be the focus. It's the right one.

Where we'll likely see the biggest changes is in the front-court. If the club's run with injury this year has shown anything, it's that it can't afford to carry the same amount of veterans as it did this season.

Of the current bigs, Froling is really the only one guaranteed to be there. That's where the biggest changes, and tough decisions, will likely need to be made.

It's going to be a big off-season on a number of fronts. Until then, take care of yourselves; and each other.

KELLY RIGHT MAN FOR THE NOD

It was really great to see Mike Kelly awarded Coach of the Year honours on Sunday night - it was well-deserved.

Of all the awards on offer it probably sparked the fiercest debate, typically along the lines of how heavily pre-season expectations should factor in final voting.

Cairns weren't expected to make the finals but have really proven the story of the year under Kelly, so he was always the sentimental favourite against main rival Will Weaver.

The underdog narrative played in his favour but Weaver's case was also framed around a narrative - specifically the Kings leading the competition from start to finish.

A huge achievement? Yes. A historic one? Yes. Still, it needs some perspective.

The Kings season was not even the best in franchise history. Under Brian Goorjian the Kings went 22-8 in 2003, 26-7 in 2004, 26-6 in 2006 and a staggering 27-3 in 2008.

Perth have had six superior seasons to Kings current (20-8) campaign. It doesn't detract from what they achieved this year, just brings some perspective to the 'historic' achievement.

Few would have stomped their feet in indignation had Weaver got the nod - certainly not Hoopla - but the campaign was a bit like driving an F1 car in a V8 race.

It's not easy, it takes a lot of skill and poise but, so long as you don't crash on one of the trickier bends, you should win. Kelly turned a Datsun into a V8 Supercar. He deserved the gong.

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