The Atlanta Hawks have spent the summer putting together a roster that looks built to keep climbing, but the piece that may matter most is the one doing the cleanest, simplest job: Aaron Wiggins spacing the floor.
Atlanta already has plenty of moving parts. The Hawks got back CJ McCollum and added Lu Dort and rookie Kingston Flemings.
They also came off a playoff run that included a little bit of noise in the first round, which only raises the bar for what comes next. But the real question for this team is whether it can level up enough offensively, and that starts with making the most of every bit of shooting it can find.
That’s where Wiggins fits. In a lineup that needs help from beyond the arc, he brings a skill the Hawks can’t fake.
He can punish defenses from three, and he does it without giving much back on the other end. That combination makes him more than just another summer add-on.
Jalen Johnson sits at the center of everything for Atlanta. He’s one of the league’s most versatile forwards, a high-level playmaker, a strong defender, and a nightmare once he gets moving downhill. Around him, the Hawks have Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Onyeka Okongwu - a group that offers defense, shot creation, and interior finishing.
But even with that mix, the shooting picture still needs help. Alexander-Walker can knock down threes, especially off his own creation.
Okongwu can stretch the floor some. Johnson can space things out, too.
Still, Daniels isn’t a shooter, and Johnson isn’t a true knockdown option from deep. That makes floor spacing around Johnson a must, not a luxury.
Wiggins has already given Atlanta a strong preview of what that can look like. In the Hawks’ third preseason game, he played 20:02 against the Indiana Pacers and went 3-of-6 from three. Through preseason play, he’s now 6-of-13 from deep.
Those are the numbers Atlanta needs to see keep showing up. If Wiggins stays steady as a perimeter threat, he should carve out a major role in the rotation. And for a Hawks team that could be separated by a narrow margin, that shooting might end up being the thing that decides whether Atlanta is safely in the playoffs or stuck battling for a Play-In Tournament spot.
In Other News...
Quin Snyders Final Preseason Choices Could Say A Lot About The Hawks
The Hawks close out the preseason Thursday at State Farm Arena against an Oklahoma City group that will look much different than a typical NBA opponent. The Thunder are leaving their veteran rotation players at home and plan to use rookies, two-way players and Exhibit 10 guys, which gives Atlanta a final tune-up that is less about the scoreboard and more about the last bits of evaluation before the games start to count.
For Quin Snyder, the bigger question is how he wants to handle his own rotation. Atlanta could go the cautious route and sit its main pieces, or use the matchup to stretch the minutes of players who have not seen much run so far. However Snyder handles it, this is the kind of preseason decision that can hint at which fringe players are closest to earning trust once the regular season begins. [Read more 🡒]