Where five underperforming teams check in, including the defending champs

Which underperforming teams should hit the panic button?

The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks and the team they beat to reach the Finals, the Atlanta Hawks, are both under .500 to start the season. Can the Bucks get healthy and begin a climb toward the top of the Eastern Conference, and can the Hawks right the ship on defense in time for another magical run?

The Boston Celtics have been one of the most unlucky teams in the league so far this season, dropping two double-overtime games and another on a buzzer-beating 3. The Portland Trail Blazers, meanwhile, have been up and down as star guard Damian Lillard tries to break away from one of the worst shooting slumps of his career.

And then there are the New Orleans Pelicans, mired in an early-season slide as the franchise waits on the season debut of star forward Zion Williamson while also dealing with a handful of other injuries to key players.

There’s plenty of season left to turn things around. Which teams will? Our NBA insiders are breaking down where five teams fall on the panic meter.

Atlanta Hawks (6-9)

Panic meter: 3/10

The Hawks had high expectations for this season, but so far they have been a disappointment. However, if there’s one team that should not panic after a lousy start, it’s these guys, who endured a terrible stretch last season before turning it around and marching to the Eastern Conference finals.

Before Nate McMillan took over as interim head coach on March 1, the Hawks were mediocre at best, winning 14 of 34 games. But after March 1, the team went 27-11 to close the regular season before upending both the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers in intense postseason series.

This season, they’re off to another bad start, winning just six of their first 15 games thanks to Atlanta’s poor defense.

The Hawks are sixth in offensive efficiency and 27th in defensive efficiency — point guard Trae Young is a key reason for both of those rankings.

Young deserves credit for helping Atlanta get…