Training camp is almost here, and the Hawks are walking in with a roster built less for fireworks and more for fit, depth, and development. Atlanta made some notable additions this offseason - bringing back CJ McCollum and Jock Landale, drafting three rookies, and trading for Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Dorian Finney-Smith - and now the real question is how all those pieces sort themselves out once the competition starts.
On paper, the Hawks look pretty settled in a few spots. In reality, there are still several minutes up for grabs, and three battles stand out heading into camp.
The frontcourt reserve minutes are the first one to watch, especially after the addition of Finney-Smith earlier this week. Atlanta already has one of the league’s best power forwards in Jalen Johnson, but the backup role behind him is suddenly wide open with Jonathan Kuminga gone. Mouhamed Gueye had been the leading candidate for that job, and he still might be, but a foot injury is likely to keep him out of training camp and the preseason.
That opens the door for two of the Hawks’ last three first-round picks, Asa Newell and Zuby Ejiofor, to push for rotation minutes. Finney-Smith is in that mix too.
He brings the most experience, but after an injury-filled 2025-2026 season with the Rockets, there are real questions about how much he has left. Atlanta would love to see one of the younger forwards seize the opportunity, with Gueye able to jump back in once he’s healthy.
If Finney-Smith can rediscover his defensive edge and knock down threes, that changes the picture as well.
The center depth chart is another spot worth monitoring, and the news that Henri Veesaar is out for the season only makes it more interesting. Veesaar may not have been a lock for the role even if healthy, but his absence leaves Atlanta looking for a reliable third big behind Onyeka Okongwu and Landale. Last season showed why that matters.
Ejiofor and Finney-Smith look like the first two players who’ll get a shot there. Finney-Smith has already spent time as a small-ball center and had some success in that role, while Atlanta also saw Ejiofor as someone who could handle center minutes if needed, even if he is undersized.
Then there’s the starting lineup, which appears likely to stay McCollum, NAW, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu. Still, Dort makes this worth watching.
He started plenty of games for the Thunder, so a bench role would be a different kind of assignment. The Hawks probably want the offensive skill sets of both McCollum and NAW on the floor to begin games, but Dort brings enough defensive value to at least force the conversation.
The big subplot there is whether Dort and Daniels can thrive together. If that pairing works, it could eventually create a path for Dort to move into the starting five.
In Other News...
Dyson Daniels Is Forcing A Big Hawks Rethink On Offense
Dyson Daniels has already given the Hawks a lot to think about on offense, even with the outside shot still a work in progress. Atlanta president of basketball operations Onsi Saleh made it clear the team is not measuring Daniels by one skill alone, pointing to his ball handling, playmaking, defense and rebounding as reasons he has become such an important piece.
Saleh also said Daniels is one of the most impactful players in the NBA, a notable stance for a player still fighting through three-point shooting issues. The bigger takeaway for Atlanta is that Daniels is not being viewed as a niche contributor or a temporary fit, but as someone the Hawks want heavily involved because of how the team functions when he is out there. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Final Roster Choice Says A Lot About Quin Snyders Priorities
Atlanta trimmed its roster to 15 players ahead of media day, and the final squeeze offered a pretty clear read on what Quin Snyder and the front office wanted most this offseason. The Hawks leaned into veteran presence and rotational fit, choosing a path that puts a premium on experience around a group still trying to find the right blend. It was less about adding another name and more about shaping the edges of the roster to match the way Snyder wants to play.
Dorian Finney-Smith stands out as the kind of player Atlanta believes can fit that vision, especially after a stretch that suggests there could still be bounce-back value in his game within this system. The contrast with Buddy Hield only sharpens the point, because the Hawks were willing to make a tough call on a well-known veteran in order to keep the piece they felt better matched their priorities. For a team trying to settle its rotation before the season begins, it is the sort of decision that can say plenty without needing much explanation. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Move On From Keon Johnson And Raise An Immediate Question
The Hawks moved quickly on Keon Johnson, waiving the former first-round pick shortly after bringing him in on an Exhibit 10 contract. It was a brief stop in Atlanta, but it still fit the larger story around Johnson, whose NBA path has kept him in the conversation as a player teams can take a look at when training camp and roster churn start to pick up.
Now the focus shifts to where he lands next, and there are a few logical places to watch. Denver, Chicago and Portland all stand out because of the way their rosters are currently built and the kind of opportunity Johnson could still find there, making his next move the more important one after Atlanta chose to move on. [Read more 🡒]