The Atlanta Hawks are suddenly in a rough spot, and Sunday’s loss to the Heat put a spotlight on a problem that keeps showing up. This was Atlanta’s third straight defeat, and it looked uglier than the previous two against the Houston Rockets.
Those games could be waved off as a talent gap and bad shooting. This one was messier than that.
The clearest issue was right in the middle of the floor. Onyeka Okongwu and Jock Landale gave Atlanta almost nothing when Miami was pounding away inside.
Okongwu dealt with foul trouble all night and still managed 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists while going 1-for-3 from deep. The jumper still isn’t falling, and too often he’s getting pushed around in the paint.
Landale didn’t do much to steady things, either, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds while posting a -11 in his minutes.
This wasn’t just a rebounding story, though that was part of it. Miami won the boards 52-40 and scored 70 points in the paint.
That’s a brutal combination for a team that already looks short on physicality inside. The Hawks have no rim protection, not enough frontcourt rebounding, and not much help from either center spot right now.
If Okongwu or Landale were knocking down shots, it might soften some of that damage. Instead, it’s becoming a major issue, and one this roster may not be equipped to fix as it stands.
Jalen Johnson also had a night he’d like to forget. Atlanta’s star forward finished with 12 points on 4-for-12 shooting, plus 11 assists and nine rebounds, but his minus-23 was the worst mark on the team.
The numbers were stark: Atlanta’s offensive rating was nearly 64 points better with him off the floor, and the defensive rating improved by nearly 13 points when he sat. In plain terms, the Hawks were better when Johnson wasn’t on the court.
It’s only been five games, but the concerns that followed Johnson last season and into the playoffs against the Knicks are already surfacing again. He’s capable of much more, and Atlanta needs that better version fast.
The one bright spot came from rookie point guard Kingston Flemings, who turned in the best game of his NBA career. Flemings finished with 23 points, five rebounds, and five assists, adding a block and a steal while shooting 9-for-12 from the field and 3-for-5 from three.
He even cracked the closing lineup over CJ McCollum. After a difficult start to his NBA shooting, this was a major step forward.
There’s also a possible lineup fix coming. Once Mouhamed Gueye returns from injury, he is expected to slide into the rotation as the backup four.
Right now, the Hawks are using Lu Dort there, and it isn’t working. That setup is part of the reason Atlanta is getting bullied on the glass.
There are tradeoffs with Asa Newell and Zuby Ejiofor, but both bring more size. At this point, it may be time for Quin Snyder to try something different.
In Other News...
Zaccharie Risacher Move Just Put Hawks' Long-Term Faith In Doubt
Zaccharie Risachers path has already taken an unexpected turn since the 2024 NBA draft, when the Hawks made him the No. 1 overall pick and handed him the kind of runway teams usually reserve for cornerstone talents. Instead of continuing that development in Atlanta, he was traded to Dallas, a move that immediately changed the backdrop around one of the leagues most closely watched young players.
For the Hawks, the deal also leaves behind a quiet but important question about what their long-term faith in Risacher might have looked like if he had stayed. Dallas is now operating with a very different kind of confidence in his trajectory, while Atlanta is left to wonder how his growth would have been judged in its own system and timeline. [Read more 🡒]
Atlanta Sports Fans Got A Brutal Reminder About Sharing State Farm Arena
State Farm Arenas shared-calendar reality became a headache this week, with the Atlanta Dreams ownership publicly taking aim at the WNBA over a scheduling clash that reached all the way into the Finals. The issue traces back to the arenas dual use by the Dream and the Hawks, and the Dream say they flagged the conflict well before the postseason schedule became a problem.
The frustration only grew when a Finals game had to be shifted to an earlier start to make room for an Atlanta Hawks home game later that night. For Dream officials, it was a reminder of how easily one teams playoff moment can get complicated when two franchises are trying to share the same building, and for Atlanta fans it was a jarring glimpse at the limits of a packed downtown schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Losses Are Testing Whether This New Core Can Really Contend
The Hawks have spent the early part of this new-look stretch sorting out what kind of team they want to be, and two straight losses to Houston offered a useful glimpse. Under Quin Snyder, the group has looked sturdier on the defensive end and a lot more competitive than it did at times before the roster shake-up, but the offense has not always matched that progress. That balance is the real question hanging over Atlanta now: the pieces are there, but the cohesion still has to catch up.
Aaron Wiggins has brought instant scoring pop as he settles into Snyders system, while Lu Dort has already made his presence felt on the defensive side of the floor. Even so, the Hawks are still waiting for the offensive rhythm to smooth out enough to turn close games into wins, and that tension was on display against a Rockets team that exposed how fine the margin still is. For a group trying to prove this version of the roster can contend, the next step is less about talent and more about whether the fit starts to look natural. [Read more 🡒]