The Atlanta Hawks already knew what their identity could be when the game got up and down. This offseason, they chose to lean into it even harder.
That approach makes sense after what happened in the postseason, when their halfcourt issues became a real problem. Atlanta’s first-round series against the eventual-champion New York Knicks got away from them once New York started beating the Hawks at their own game. No other team in the back half of last season managed that.
So instead of pulling back, the Hawks doubled down on pace while also trying to improve their chances when possessions bog down. For a team that was already dangerous in transition, that’s a smart way to spend an offseason. Adjust, but don’t overreact.
A Jalen Johnson-led offense should be one of the quickest groups in the league, and Atlanta seems to believe that speed can also help cover for some of the halfcourt growing pains. The idea is simple: keep opponents running so long that by the time the fourth quarter arrives, they’re spent.
That’s where the new additions come in.
Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Kingston Flemings all bring something different, but each one fits a system built on tempo. Dort and Wiggins know exactly what that looks like at its best. They were part of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2025 championship run, a season that was nothing short of dominant and one in which fresh legs became a weapon.
Flemings is the wildcard in the group. He hasn’t played an NBA game yet, so there will be an adjustment period. But if the scouting report is right, he should slot in before long.
He’s expected to be in the opening night rotation, and how quickly he earns trust will shape how long his leash is. Flemings can run an offense himself, including in the halfcourt, but his best trait is what he does in transition. At the pre-draft combine, he ranked in the top five in sprint speed, pro lane agility and max vertical jump, and the numbers back up what the eye test already showed.
For Atlanta, that kind of athletic pop only reinforces the plan.
In Other News...
Hawks Just Made Their Development Pipeline Plan Harder To Ignore
The Hawks are tightening the link between Atlanta and College Park in a way that is hard to miss. Ryan Silverstein has been named general manager of the College Park Skyhawks while continuing in his role as the teams vice president of cap strategy and player personnel, a setup that keeps front office priorities and G League development on the same track. It is the kind of move that suggests the organization wants a clearer pipeline, not just more bodies moving up and down between rosters.
Sanjay Lumpkin and Reggis Onwukamuche are also part of that larger structure, taking over as the Skyhawks head coach and associate head coach while remaining assistants with the Hawks. The staff shuffle does not stop there, either, with Aaron Evans moving up to pro scout and Steve Klei shifting into a full-time assistant coaching role. For a team trying to build depth and continuity, the message is pretty plain: the development side is being treated like an extension of the main bench, and the next step in that plan is the part everyone will watch. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Have A Front Office Edge Fans Should Value Right Now
The NBAs punishment of the Clippers over salary-cap circumvention tied to Kawhi Leonard was a stark reminder of how costly front-office missteps can become, and why organizations spend so much time trying to stay on the right side of the leagues rules. For the Hawks, it also serves as a useful backdrop for the value of Onsi Saleh, whose role in basketball operations has given Atlanta a leader steeped in the salary cap, the CBA and the legal side of team building.
That matters because the Hawks are trying to improve the roster without boxing themselves into a corner later, a balance that is easier talked about than executed. Salehs experience gives Atlanta a built-in edge in that process, with the kind of judgment that helps a team chase upgrades while still protecting future flexibility, which is exactly the sort of discipline front offices get judged on when the league starts handing out real consequences. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Season May Come Down To One Debate Fans Know Well
The Hawks enter the season with the kind of roster that invites both optimism and second-guessing, which is usually where the conversation around this team starts anyway. Their offseason changes gave them more ways to build around the core, and the shape of the roster suggests there is at least a plausible path to meaningful progress if the returners take another step and the new pieces settle in quickly.
For Atlanta, the real issue is whether the gains are enough to patch the familiar weak spots that have tripped them up before. There is a version of this season where the group looks more connected and much harder to defend, but there is also a familiar floor if the same problems linger and the new additions do not move the needle the way the front office needs them to. [Read more 🡒]