The Atlanta Hawks closed the preseason with momentum, rattling off four straight wins after dropping their opener to the Memphis Grizzlies. That finish has them heading into Wednesday’s season opener against the Orlando Magic feeling a lot better than they did a few days ago.
Even with that strong run, one issue kept surfacing: the Hawks’ frontcourt and wing depth still looks fragile in a few key spots. Atlanta got encouraging looks across the preseason, especially considering the team had its top nine players together for only one game, but the margin for error is still tight.
There were clear signs of progress elsewhere. Kingston Flemings looked like a meaningful upgrade over Gabe Vincent.
Lu Dort brought another rugged perimeter defender into the mix. Aaron Wiggins stood out off the bench.
Jock Landale also appears to fit the system well as a big who can stretch the floor, rebound and make the extra pass.
But the thin spots are hard to miss.
At small forward, Atlanta has leaned on a mix of Dort and Wiggins behind the starters. Wiggins is really more of a shooting guard, but the Hawks have needed him to play up a position. Dort has handled backup three and four minutes, and rookie Zuby Ejiofor has served as the third center.
That setup becomes a problem fast if injuries enter the picture. During the three preseason games Dort missed, Atlanta turned to Corey Kispert as the backup small forward and Asa Newell as the backup power forward, and that combination created issues defensively.
The problem got even bigger when those lineups were paired with Landale, whose defense and rim protection are his biggest weaknesses. Two defensive liabilities around him is not a recipe that makes much sense.
Center is another spot that could get messy. If Landale or Onyeka Okongwu miss time - something the Hawks already dealt with at the end of last season - Ejiofor would be asked to play real minutes. He didn’t see much floor time in five preseason games, so that would put a rookie in a role he may not be fully ready for yet.
Power forward should look better once Mouhamed Gueye returns from his foot injury. He gives Atlanta a stronger defensive presence, can help at the rim and fits more naturally next to Landale from a style standpoint.
There’s also the question of whether Dorian Finney-Smith can be used at center if needed, though that feels far from a sure thing given how little he played in the preseason.
So while the Hawks have reasons to feel good about the way they finished exhibition play, the depth chart at small forward, power forward and center still needs careful attention. Atlanta does not have many clean answers there, which puts even more pressure on the coaching staff - and on the players the team needs to keep on the floor.
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Hawks Sent An Early Rotation Message Fans Will Notice
The preseason finale against the Mavericks offered a useful glimpse at how the Hawks want to structure their second unit once the games start counting. Atlanta kept its starting five intact, but the bench pecking order was just as revealing, with Lu Dort leading the first wave off the sideline after his offseason arrival, then Aaron Wiggins, Jock Landale and rookie Kingston Flemings following in that order.
Flemings inclusion in that rotation was the part fans will notice most, especially with the Hawks looking to balance upside against experience behind their starters. The message was clear: this group is being sorted with an eye toward depth and flexibility, and the battle for minutes is already starting to take shape before the regular season opens. [Read more 🡒]
Ben Simmons Reopens The Hawks Series That Helped Break Philadelphia
Ben Simmons has reopened one of the most painful chapters in recent 76ers history, looking back at the aftermath of the 2021 playoff exit and the way it played out in public. His criticism centers on Doc Rivers, whose comments after the series loss fueled a rift that soon spread beyond the locker room and into the larger conversation about Simmons place in Philadelphia.
Simmons said the remarks left him feeling abandoned during a difficult stretch, and he tied that sense of being singled out to his eventual decision to ask out of the organization. From there, his career took him to Brooklyn in a trade and later to Sacramento, but the fallout from that spring has continued to follow him, especially when the Hawks series comes back into view. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Preseason Offered Real Hope But One Rotation Question Lingers
A 4-1 preseason record is easy to dismiss if you want to, especially for a team that only got its full lineup together once, but Atlanta at least gave itself a sturdy early case for optimism. The Hawks looked more organized, more dependable and, most importantly, deeper than a year ago, with the rotation expected to be steadier this season thanks to the added presence of Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Jock Landale.
The biggest question left hanging is how the backcourt sorts itself out behind the starters, because the preseason gave the Hawks a mixed sample there. Rookie Kingston Flemings turned heads in a reserve role and looked comfortable running the second unit, while Dyson Daniels is still searching for rhythm as a shooter. Atlanta has reason to feel better about its bench than it did a year ago, but the exact pecking order in the guard rotation still needs a little more time to settle. [Read more 🡒]