The Atlanta Hawks have put together one of the more intriguing rosters in the Eastern Conference, but the missing piece is still obvious. No matter how good Jalen Johnson becomes, Atlanta is still sitting one major trade away from being the kind of team that can truly scare the East.
The issue is at perimeter creation. Right now, the Hawks do not have the kind of star guard or wing who can be paired with Johnson and carry the offense from the outside.
That gap showed up in last year’s playoffs, when CJ McCollum had to take on the role of Atlanta’s primary perimeter creator. He handled it well enough to help the Hawks take two games from the New York Knicks, who went on to win the NBA championship.
But this summer, Atlanta never made the leap from McCollum to a perimeter star with a higher ceiling.
McCollum is back, and he can still fill that job fairly well. But “pretty well” is not the same as having the kind of lead option a contender leans on when the games get tight. If the Hawks want to be taken seriously as an Eastern Conference threat with Johnson as one of their top players, they still need to swing bigger.
The rest of the roster is in place. Johnson is an All-Star.
Dyson Daniels gives them elite defense. Nickeil Alexander-Walker adds another strong secondary shot creator.
Onyeka Okongwu is a solid starting center. And there are more young players behind them who could take on bigger responsibilities.
What Atlanta still lacks is the perimeter star who can bend a defense with the ball in his hands. They need someone who can create from the outside, score in the mid-range, and threaten defenses from three-point range. In other words, they need a lead creator.
Maybe rookie Kingston Flemings grows into that kind of role someday. But that’s a future possibility, not a present solution. For now, the Hawks should be keeping a constant eye on the trade market for a guard who can fill that void.
That is the piece Johnson needs most: a clutch scorer, a trusted playoff performer, and a reliable threat from deep who can also run the offense. Until Atlanta finds that player, the Hawks will remain a team with real promise - and one very obvious hole.
In Other News...
Asa Newell Suddenly Has A Real Shot To Change Atlanta's Rotation
Asa Newell arrived as the Hawks 2025 first-round pick with the usual draft-night buzz, but the path to minutes in Atlanta has opened faster than expected. Between injuries and a few changes around the frontcourt, the rookie forward suddenly looks like more than a developmental name on the end of the bench. For a team that has been trying to sort out its rotation depth, Newells shooting ability gives him a chance to matter early if he can translate it quickly to NBA pace.
The larger question now is where he fits once the season gets rolling, because the Hawks frontcourt picture has created room for someone to seize. Analysts have already started circling Newell as a breakout candidate, and it is easy to see why: the profile is there, the opportunity is there, and Atlanta does not have a lot of obvious answers waiting in reserve. The only real mystery is how big that role becomes once the rotation tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Quietly Turned A Risky Gabe Vincent Deal Into Real Value
When Atlanta sent Luke Kennard to the Lakers at the February trade deadline for Gabe Vincent and a second-round pick, it looked like the kind of deal that carried some obvious risk. Vincent never became a long-term fit for the Hawks, and he did not return on a new contract, but Atlanta still came out of the move with a draft asset and a useful transaction route that added flexibility around the roster.
Vincent is now sitting on the open market with training camp drawing closer, a reminder that the Hawks did not need to force a commitment to make the trade matter. Kennard has since moved on to Phoenix after his stint in Los Angeles, while Atlanta quietly turned a midseason swing into something more practical than it first appeared. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Face One Big Test After Their Quiet Offseason
The Hawks took a measured approach to the offseason, choosing stability over splash and betting that veteran presence plus a few championship-tested additions can help carry over last seasons momentum. Rather than chase the biggest names, Atlanta kept its core intact and turned its attention to the parts of the roster that need sharpening, especially interior defense and the continued development of younger pieces who can grow into bigger roles.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels sit near the center of that conversation, even if the biggest question is how much more offense they can supply as the season unfolds. Atlanta does not need a wholesale overhaul to stay competitive, but it does need those two to keep expanding their games while the teams quiet summer choices are judged against the standard of what comes next. [Read more 🡒]