Onsi Saleh left little doubt about what mattered most coming out of Atlanta’s busy summer: the Hawks believe they finally have a real identity.
That was the thread running through Saleh’s preseason press conference, and it surfaced early when he was asked what he was proudest of from last summer’s wild free agency period. His answer was direct: “Building a culture and identity, because that’s really hard to do.”
For Atlanta, that kind of clarity has been a long time coming. Five years after the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals run, the organization has spent the intervening seasons searching for the right shape, trying to put the right pieces around Trae Young without ever quite landing on something stable. This offseason, the focus shifted to Jalen Johnson as the new franchise centerpiece, and Saleh said the front office built around him with purpose.
“You wanna get the guys that fit the archetypes of the way you want to play stylistically, and I think we figured that out a lot,” Saleh said. “That’s one of the ways we’re gonna be successful this year is through our style of play, and I felt like we did that.”
That stylistic vision matters because the Hawks are no longer just collecting names. They’ve built a roster with flexibility, depth, and a clear emphasis on shooting and defense.
Saleh pointed to the way the team can mix and match lineups, noting that even when Dyson Daniels is on the floor, he’ll have plenty of shooting around him. Daniels also spent last summer working on his jump shot, which should give Atlanta even more room to maneuver.
The versatility doesn’t stop there. Saleh highlighted how the Hawks can shift pieces around on defense, mentioning Zuby Ejiofor’s ability to handle multiple frontcourt roles and Asa Newell’s experience at the five. He also said the team feels stronger offensively after the additions they made.
“We have guys that can slide over [and play the center position] like Zuby. He can guard fives, he can play the five, and he can play the four. Asa [Newell] has played the five before, so I feel like we can move guys around, but ultimately that’s a decision for Quin," Saleh noted.
“I honestly think we got better offensively too; adding guys like Aaron [Wiggins] is going to be significant for us, and having an advantage creator like Kingston is going to be really beneficial to our group.”
If the roster construction was one theme, physicality was the other. Saleh made it clear the Hawks have to be ready for the kind of playoff basketball that exposed them in last season’s series loss to the Knicks. New York’s OG Anunoby and Josh Hart put Jalen Johnson through a punishing test, and Saleh said the lesson was unavoidable.
“We see a more physical, slow style of play in the playoffs, but physicality is offensive too. You have to be super physical in the playoffs to get to your spots, and we saw that last season,” Saleh said.
“The referees aren’t going to call as much, but having that physicality offensively, which I think the guys that are coming back this season got to experience that for the first time, can go: ‘This is a different game'"
That message fits a young roster that has already shown real promise. Johnson is 24 and playing at an All-NBA level, while Daniels, at 23, is already one of the league’s best defenders.
The Hawks may still be young, but Saleh’s point was that they are not starting from scratch anymore. They’re ahead of schedule, and they’ve added older voices to help steady the group, including Dort and 15-year veteran CJ McCollum.
Taken together, the message from Saleh was simple: the Hawks think they’ve solved the biggest problems that held them back. And with a deeper, more flexible, more physical roster, they believe the next step is right in front of them.
That next test figures to come against the Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, or Toronto Raptors, any of whom could stand in their way in the first round. For Atlanta, that’s where the real measuring stick begins.
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For Atlanta, the timing makes the situation interesting. The Hawks have veteran voices around Flemings and a coaching staff that has shown it can reward players who earn trust on the details, which gives him a real path to minutes if he keeps building. The question now is how quickly his game can catch up to the impression he has already made. [Read more 🡒]