Kingston Flemings may not have to wait long to make his case in Atlanta.
The Hawks do not need their rookie point guard to step in and run the show right away. With a roster built to win now, Atlanta can afford to bring him along carefully instead of throwing immediate pressure on him. But CJ McCollum’s read on Flemings at Hawks Media Day hinted that the rookie might be able to move faster than expected.
"He's super smart. Very ahead of his time," McCollum said. "The lateral movement, the defense, he's consistent."
For a young guard, that kind of praise matters. McCollum wasn’t talking about highlight plays or scoring bursts.
He pointed to the stuff coaches trust: decision-making, defensive positioning and steady effort. Those are the traits that can get a rookie on the floor before the offensive game fully catches up.
That matters especially for Flemings because rookies often lose minutes not just because they’re raw, but because the NBA asks them to process everything at a different speed. If a young guard can defend his spot, make the right reads and avoid becoming a weak link, he gives a coach real reason to play him.
Flemings appears to have a path there. He does not need to come in and be one of Atlanta’s main scorers. If he can hold up on defense, stay disciplined and make smart choices, he can still carve out a role while his offense develops.
The Hawks’ roster should help with that, too. Surrounded by veterans and a strong defensive group, Flemings won’t be asked to do everything at once. That kind of setup can let him lean into the parts of the game he already handles well while he slowly takes on more.
McCollum’s presence could also be a major benefit for him. After more than 10 years in the league, McCollum knows what it takes for a young guard to earn trust on a team that expects to compete. His comments add another layer to the confidence Atlanta already showed in Flemings through Quin Snyder and the front office.
Training camp and preseason will be the first real test. Flemings will make mistakes, and the Hawks do not need to change their long-term plan because of a few strong early impressions. But if his basketball IQ shows up the way McCollum described it, Snyder may feel comfortable letting him learn on the fly.
Flemings does not have to become a star as a rookie for the season to count. If McCollum’s assessment holds up, Atlanta may have a young guard who can help sooner than anyone first expected.
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Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kingston Flemings both singled out Dorts defensive value, with the kind of praise that usually says as much about the player as the plan. Alexander-Walker emphasized how disruptive Dort can be, while Flemings pointed directly to the strength that makes him such a difficult matchup. For a Hawks group trying to raise its baseline on that side of the floor, Dort looks like more than a fit on paper. [Read more 🡒]