The Atlanta Hawks closed out their preseason Friday night with a win over the Dallas Mavericks, finishing 4-1 across five exhibition games. Atlanta only had its full starting group and top bench pieces together for one game, but there was still plenty to like in the way this team looked over the last couple of weeks.
One of the clearest preseason wins was Kingston Flemings. The expectation was that he could step into the backup point guard job quickly, and he did that while showing more.
He averaged over 10 PPG and 4 APG in the preseason and held up defensively, too. For a 19-year old rookie, he played with a mature feel that stood out.
Dyson Daniels was a different story. He remains a player who brings real value because of his defense, rebounding, and passing, but the shooting issue is still hanging over him.
The preseason talk centered on improved shooting form and touch, yet the results fell short of that hope. Daniels went 3-12 from three, and that kind of number makes Atlanta easier to defend.
There was also a shift in the Hawks’ depth picture. Last season, and even into the postseason, the team did not have much trusted depth at the back end of the roster, even when things were going well.
That should be different now. Atlanta looks like it can lean on a reliable nine-man rotation, with the chance to stretch that to 10 once Mouhamed Gueye returns from injury.
Among the players who stood out most in the preseason were Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Kingston Flemings, and Jock Landale. All four turned in strong showings and are expected to have major roles for the Hawks game to game.
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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 🡒]
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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 Enter Season With One Depth Concern Quin Snyder Can't Ignore
Atlantas preseason ended on a brighter note than it started, with four straight wins after an opening loss, and the Hawks did show signs of improved depth compared with a year ago. That matters for a team trying to build a cleaner, more stable rotation around Quin Snyder, especially with the regular season about to test how much of that preseason progress can carry over.
Even so, the roster still has some obvious pressure points, and the concern is less about the top of the lineup than what happens behind it. Small forward, power forward and center all look thin enough that an injury or two could force Atlanta into uncomfortable answers, which makes the early weeks a key measuring stick for how much trust Snyder can place in the bench and the back end of the frontcourt. [Read more 🡒]