The Atlanta Hawks spent the offseason trying to add depth, and that theme is already showing up in camp.
That doesn’t erase the bigger questions hovering over the roster. Atlanta finished last season respectably, but the team is still in that awkward middle ground of a rebuild: young enough to dream on, uncertain enough to leave fans wondering what this year is really supposed to look like. The result is a group that could take a step forward or end up grinding through the Play-In race again without making any major swing to separate itself in the Eastern Conference.
Still, Hawks President of Basketball Operations Onsi Saleh made it clear in preseason availability that the organization believes this group is deeper and better than the one it had a year ago.
"We felt like we got better this summer. We not only felt like we added to the culture and identity that we're trying to build, but last season was a foundational season, and we're building off of that.
When you look at the transactions we made, the guys that were returning, we really do feel like we got better. I know the East got a lot better, too, but we're going to be a very competitive team this season, and that's the expectation.
We're going to compete on both ends. every single minute, every single game, but we're also going to get better as the season progresses and as the years progress.
So when you look at the roster decisions that we made, and you think about it going to the draft, adding guys like Kingston, Zuby, and Henri, who were just at the top of our list when it came to the draft. And the guys, in the sense of eyes, here's the numbers, have been the three guys we were actually targeting. So we felt like we got better at the draft.
Bringing in Lu and Aaron from a championship team, guys that played in the finals a couple years ago, we needed that pedigree in our room. With our group, we felt like it's going to make us better on the court, and those guys will also make us better."
Those additions are already drawing notice early in camp. Quin Snyder has praised the intensity and chemistry from the new arrivals, and he pointed to the value of seeing how the pieces fit once they’re actually on the floor together.
"Yeah, it's crucial. And I think some of it you can make assumptions and you should on the front end and then you need to see guys play together.
See how those combinations work. Even someone like Jock, who we got right after All-Star break.
He was unfortunately injured, so we didn't have him. The rookies, Lu, Aaron, so we do have a lot of new guys.
We like what they can do, can bring. I think there's been an immediate connectivity where you have a chemistry from them as people and players.
And from that point, you continue to build, and we'll see that."
The rotation already has a crowded feel in the backcourt. Atlanta is projecting five guards: CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kingston Flemings, Lu Dort, and Corey Kispert. They each bring a different wrinkle, though not all of them are the kind of two-way presence that can tilt games on their own.
The frontcourt is where the concerns get louder. The Hawks are light on size and thin on bench help at both spots, and the interior defense is expected to be an issue again. Opponents will almost certainly try to attack that weakness, which is why there’s pressure on Jalen Johnson to help stabilize that end.
Johnson’s growth as a defender will be one of the clearest things to watch. He has the physical tools to be one of the league’s best, but he still has to prove he can handle quicker guards on the perimeter and stronger forwards inside.
Atlanta has emphasized perimeter defense this offseason, and Johnson said the team has a "pick your poison" mentality on that side of the ball, one that pushes him to meet that standard.
The biggest test may be whether the Hawks can survive the season with enough depth to make that improvement matter. Injuries have been a problem in recent years, and that reality hangs over the roster again. If the rotation doesn’t deliver the jump the front office is expecting, it will be worth watching what Atlanta does next.
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