Training camp is about to put two Atlanta Hawks battles under the microscope, and both could shape how the rotation settles once the season gets rolling.
The starting five looks set, so the real intrigue is coming off the bench. That’s where the Hawks will spend a lot of time figuring out who can handle the backup point guard spot and who steps in behind Jalen Johnson.
At point guard, most fans are already penciling in Kingston Flemings, and that’s probably where the organization is leaning too. The 8th overall pick gives Atlanta the kind of true lead guard it needed, especially with CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker not fitting the profile of top-level passers and playmakers. Flemings was already showing that skill in Summer League, which is exactly why the Hawks took him.
Still, the job won’t be handed over without a fight. Ryan Nembhard is in the mix after being part of the three-team deal that brought Lu Dort to Atlanta and sent Zaccharie Risacher to Dallas.
Nembhard appeared in 60 games, including 27 starts, for Dallas last season and posted 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 19.5 minutes per game. He led all rookies in assists per game, and his April 12 performance in a win over Chicago turned heads: 23 assists, 15 points, nine rebounds, and two steals in 38 minutes.
With Atlanta waiving Devin Carter last week, Nembhard now looks like the likeliest roster addition if Flemings isn’t quite ready. That makes camp an early proving ground for the rookie.
The other spot worth watching is the backup role behind Jalen Johnson. Mouhamed Gueye would have been the easy answer before a foot injury wiped out his summer, but that injury is going to keep him out through training camp and the preseason. That leaves the opening to Asa Newell and rookie Zuby Ejiofor.
Ejiofor may not have ideal size, but he brings the kind of edge Atlanta has been searching for. He’s the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, plays with physicality and toughness, and backed it up with a strong Summer League. If that carries into camp and the preseason, he could force his way into the picture sooner than expected.
Newell is also worth tracking closely. The first-round pick from last year got some run with the Hawks and showed real promise as an offensive player, flashing touch and feel for the game.
His defense still needs work, but that’s hardly unusual for a rookie. Whoever claims the job will have a real shot to turn it into a meaningful rotation role.
In Other News...
Asa Newell Suddenly Has A Real Shot To Change Atlanta's Rotation
Asa Newell arrived as the Hawks 2025 first-round pick with the usual draft-night buzz, but the path to minutes in Atlanta has opened faster than expected. Between injuries and a few changes around the frontcourt, the rookie forward suddenly looks like more than a developmental name on the end of the bench. For a team that has been trying to sort out its rotation depth, Newells shooting ability gives him a chance to matter early if he can translate it quickly to NBA pace.
The larger question now is where he fits once the season gets rolling, because the Hawks frontcourt picture has created room for someone to seize. Analysts have already started circling Newell as a breakout candidate, and it is easy to see why: the profile is there, the opportunity is there, and Atlanta does not have a lot of obvious answers waiting in reserve. The only real mystery is how big that role becomes once the rotation tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Quietly Turned A Risky Gabe Vincent Deal Into Real Value
When Atlanta sent Luke Kennard to the Lakers at the February trade deadline for Gabe Vincent and a second-round pick, it looked like the kind of deal that carried some obvious risk. Vincent never became a long-term fit for the Hawks, and he did not return on a new contract, but Atlanta still came out of the move with a draft asset and a useful transaction route that added flexibility around the roster.
Vincent is now sitting on the open market with training camp drawing closer, a reminder that the Hawks did not need to force a commitment to make the trade matter. Kennard has since moved on to Phoenix after his stint in Los Angeles, while Atlanta quietly turned a midseason swing into something more practical than it first appeared. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Face One Big Test After Their Quiet Offseason
The Hawks took a measured approach to the offseason, choosing stability over splash and betting that veteran presence plus a few championship-tested additions can help carry over last seasons momentum. Rather than chase the biggest names, Atlanta kept its core intact and turned its attention to the parts of the roster that need sharpening, especially interior defense and the continued development of younger pieces who can grow into bigger roles.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels sit near the center of that conversation, even if the biggest question is how much more offense they can supply as the season unfolds. Atlanta does not need a wholesale overhaul to stay competitive, but it does need those two to keep expanding their games while the teams quiet summer choices are judged against the standard of what comes next. [Read more 🡒]