The Hawks spent the preseason sorting through the backup power forward job behind Jalen Johnson, with Asa Newell, Zuby Ejiofor and Mouhamed Gueye all in the mix. Then Quin Snyder changed the picture in the preseason finale against the Dallas Mavericks.
For the competitive portion of that game, Snyder went with a nine-man rotation that left those candidates on the sideline and instead used Lu Dort as the backup four. That choice gives Atlanta a different kind of option - one with clear benefits, but also some real matchup risks over the course of the 2026-27 season.
Dort brings a level of size and edge that fits what Atlanta has been trying to build. Basketball Reference lists him at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, and though he spent seven seasons as a shooting guard and small forward with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he has spent plenty of time checking bigger names such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum. Snyder appears to be leaning into that same flexibility.
Against the Indiana Pacers, Dort started in place of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who rested, and took on Pascal Siakam. Meanwhile, Johnson was matched with Aaron Nesmith and Kelly Oubre Jr. If Johnson is going to take a step defensively while handling the offense, Dort’s ability to cover more ground and handle tougher assignments could help him save energy for the other end.
There’s also a physicality angle here, and Atlanta made that a point of emphasis over the summer. President of Basketball Operations Onsi Saleh and Snyder both spoke about raising the team’s physical level on both sides of the ball, and Dort fits that mandate better than Newell or Gueye.
He embraces contact and sets a tone that the younger options haven’t yet matched. Ejiofor showed strong physical play at St.
John’s, but he does not bring Dort’s championship experience.
The other edge Dort gives the Hawks is shooting. He put up 34.4% from three last season on 5.4 attempts per game, and while that number matters, the bigger picture is that he has already shown more long-range volume and efficiency than Newell, Ejiofor or Gueye.
In the two seasons before that, he hit 41.2% and 39.4% of his threes while averaging at least two makes per game. Atlanta is banking on that kind of spacing to open driving lanes for Johnson, Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels.
Still, the fit is not clean against every opponent. If Dort is the four, the Hawks could run into trouble against bigger Eastern Conference frontcourts.
Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley present one obvious problem. Dort can bump Mobley off his spot, but a 6-foot-11 big man can also rise over him, and pairing Jock Landale’s questionable rim protection and limited lateral movement with Dort’s size could be a rough setup against that front line.
Miami offers another difficult test. The Heat added Giannis Antetokounmpo next to Bam Adebayo this summer, and the 6-foot-11, 250-pound Antetokounmpo brings a level of physical force that would be a nightmare for Dort to contain. Snyder would likely need to alter the matchups, perhaps using Daniels or Onyeka Okongwu on him at times, just to make him labor for every point.
If Atlanta starts getting exposed by bigger teams, Snyder will have to rethink Dort’s role quickly. For now, the Hawks are testing a version of the rotation that pushes Dort into an unfamiliar spot and asks him to do a little of everything off the bench for the first time in his career.
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The bigger question is how far that momentum can carry once the games count. There is already speculation that Flemings could work his way into the starting lineup if his regular-season play keeps matching what he has shown so far, which would force a tougher decision on the guard group and open the door to a very different role for an established veteran. For now, it is just pressure, but it is the kind that can change a depth chart quickly. [Read more 🡒]