The Hawks don’t have a roster problem so much as a usage problem, and that showed up in a hurry in their recent loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Atlanta has plenty of players who can initiate offense, but the team has been slow to lean into that strength the way it should. That’s the kind of issue a coaching staff can clean up fast, and it probably needs to.
The clearest fix is simple: one of Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels or Kingston Flemings should always be on the floor.
Johnson’s breakout 2025-26 season helped push the Hawks to their first non-Play-In Tournament postseason appearance in years, and his playmaking has been central to that jump. His halfcourt scoring still has room to grow, but his ability to create for teammates remains a major weapon. He’s leading the team - and nearly the entire league - in assists per game.
When Johnson sits, Daniels is the obvious next option. Flemings fits there too.
Daniels averaged a career-high 5.9 assists per game last season and is just under that mark this year. Flemings, meanwhile, has already shown real passing chops as a rookie, averaging 4.4 assists in 21.8 minutes per game through 11 games.
Yet against the Lakers, Atlanta left all three on the bench for an extended stretch, and the offense paid for it.
The Hawks opened the game well and even held an early lead before eventually falling behind by 20 points. For a while, they were scoring effectively against a Lakers defense that can be tough to crack. But once Johnson, Daniels and Flemings all checked out midway through the first quarter, the rhythm disappeared.
The offense stalled, the lead vanished, and Atlanta was down nine by the end of the opening period. By the time the Hawks found their footing again, the game had already slipped away.
In Other News...
Hawks Get A Chance To Silence One Early Offensive Concern
The Hawks four-game winning streak came to an end Nov. 9 in Los Angeles, where the Lakers handed Atlanta a 124-114 loss and exposed an early offensive issue the team will want to clean up quickly. Turnovers and stretches of uneven execution made it harder for the Hawks to settle into their rhythm, and the defeat served as a reminder that even a productive offense can get derailed when possessions start slipping away.
A chance to respond arrives Nov. 13 against the Bulls, a matchup that should give Atlanta room to get back on track. Chicago has had its own defensive problems, which makes this a useful measuring stick for the Hawks as they try to sharpen their ball handling and find more consistency after a frustrating night in Los Angeles. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Johnson Must Take Over As Hawks Enter A Brutal Stretch
Jalen Johnson has opened the season with strong statistical averages, but the Hawks need more than production on paper as the schedule starts to tighten. After a recent game against the Lakers, the bigger concern was not what Johnson was capable of, but how aggressively he chose to impose himself on the night. For Atlanta, the next step is clear: its most versatile young forward has to play with more force and set the tone when the game gets heavy.
That challenge only grows as the Hawks move into a brutal stretch against some of the leagues tougher opponents. Atlantas hopes in those matchups are tied closely to Johnsons willingness to be assertive, attack earlier and carry more of the offensive load when the margin for error shrinks. If he can turn his strong start into a more commanding presence, the Hawks have a better chance of holding up through the difficult run ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Already Have One Roster Concern That Could Get Exposed Fast
With the Hawks having played more games than anyone else in the NBA and sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference, the early-season picture has already given them a decent sample size to sort through. There have been encouraging signs from the backcourt, and the overall record suggests they have handled the grind well enough to stay in the mix while the rest of the league catches up.
Even so, the roster still has a few spots that could become harder to hide as the schedule tightens. Atlantas depth has been part of the story, but the margins get thinner when certain rotation pieces are not giving the same kind of impact night to night, and that is where the Hawks may start to feel some pressure if the trend continues. Onyeka Okongwus role only adds to the importance of getting the rest of the lineup sorted before those concerns turn into a bigger issue. [Read more 🡒]