ESPN’s latest top 100 NBA players list gave the Atlanta Hawks four names, but it also left two pretty obvious holes.
CJ McCollum, Lu Dort, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson all landed on the list, giving Atlanta some recognition for a roster built more on depth than headline-grabbing star power. That fits the direction the Hawks’ front office took this summer. The team may not be loaded with top-end names, but it does have plenty of players who can slide in and make an impact in different ways.
Still, the biggest takeaway from Atlanta’s presence on the list is who didn’t make it. Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu both had strong enough seasons to make a real case for inclusion, and leaving them out feels like a miss.
Daniels is easy to question if you focus only on the shooting. He hit just 18.8% from three on 1.5 attempts per game, a number that gives opponents little reason to respect him beyond the arc. That kind of spacing limitation is real, and it shapes how teams can defend him.
But that only tells part of the story. Daniels was one of the NBA’s best guard rebounders, pulling down 6.8 boards per game, which ranked in the 100th percentile relative to position.
He also brought above-average passing to a roster that doesn’t have many creators beyond Jalen Johnson. And on the defensive end, he’s already established himself as one of the five best perimeter defenders in the league, which matters plenty over the course of a regular season.
He has flaws, especially in the postseason, but plenty of players who made the top 100 share that same issue. This season gives Daniels another chance to keep building toward becoming one of the league’s most valuable all-around starters.
Okongwu’s omission is even harder to justify. He posted a career-best 37.6% from deep on a career-high 5.2 attempts per game, and he graded in the 93rd percentile or better in offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, steals and blocks per game. That wasn’t just a hot stretch, either.
He held up in the postseason too. While the Hawks struggled overall, Okongwu shot 45.5% from three on 3.7 attempts per game, and Atlanta’s offense was 9.2 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor. Around the rim, he was even more efficient, converting 93.8% of his looks when the Hawks got into the paint and found him inside.
He did get beaten badly by OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson, but he competed well in his minutes against Karl-Anthony Towns. Over 157 possessions, Towns scored 17.7 points per 75 minutes against him. Towns was efficient enough, but he was also a major problem for the Knicks throughout the postseason, and Okongwu was one of the few defenders who made him work at times.
The most likely explanation for Okongwu’s snub is that voters are still thinking about the version of him that took a few seasons to get here. That’s understandable, but it’s also outdated. He’s been playing at this level for about 1.5 seasons now, and if he stays healthy, another jump in 2026-27 feels well within reach.
However the list shook out, Daniels and Okongwu look like major pieces for Atlanta. If they stay on the floor, both should provide top-100 value and make this omission look worse in hindsight.
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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 🡒]