Training camp in the NBA usually doesn’t decide much on its own, but it can still tell you where the real pressure points are. For the Atlanta Hawks, the early tests in Nashville are less about the obvious veterans and more about how Quin Snyder starts sorting out a few unsettled spots in the rotation.
The recent trade for Dorian Finney-Smith trimmed the roster, with Buddy Hield and Ryan Nembhard going out in the deal. Finney-Smith, though, doesn’t look like the kind of player who needs a long runway in camp.
He’s been traded four times already, and Atlanta likely already has a clear idea of him as a 3&D piece. He probably won’t need a heavy workload in scrimmages.
The bigger questions sit elsewhere.
Kingston Flemings, the former Houston standout, made a strong first impression in summer league thanks to his passing and feel. During the Las Vegas and Salt Lake City circuits, he stood out as a facilitator who could find open teammates, create clean looks, and avoid turnovers.
The concern is still the jumper. Flemings shot 30.8% from the field in Summer League, and that kind of efficiency won’t fly at the NBA level.
There’s still plenty of room for growth, and Summer League numbers don’t always carry forward, but it would help if he showed better shooting touch during the scrimmage portion of camp.
One of the more interesting lineup questions is whether CJ McCollum or Lu Dort starts next to Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. That battle is likely to play out in the regular season unless Snyder has already locked into a direction. A few days in camp probably won’t be enough for either player to fully settle it.
McCollum gives Atlanta a clear offensive lift. His shooting - 39.5% from three for his career on 6.4 attempts per game - helps cover for the spacing issues Daniels brings.
The tradeoff is defense, where McCollum’s energy can come and go as he gets older. Dort brings the opposite profile.
He’s known as one of the league’s most physical perimeter defenders, but his shooting dipped to 34.4% from deep last season. He did post two seasons above 39% on solid volume before that, though it’s fair to wonder how much of that was tied to Oklahoma City’s system.
How those starters look together in camp scrimmages should still be worth watching, no matter which direction the Hawks lean.
The most important question, though, may be the one at center depth. Henri Veesaar’s season-ending injury took away a possible contingency option and left Atlanta with three realistic candidates for the third center job: Zuby Ejiofor, Asa Newell, and Mo Gueye.
Onyeka Okongwu is set, and Jock Landale was paid this offseason to back him up. Finney-Smith has some small-ball center experience, but at 33 and coming off what was described as arguably the worst season of his career, he doesn’t look like a serious answer there.
That leaves Newell and Ejiofor as the names to watch. Newell has to show growth in his second season, while Ejiofor needs to prove he can handle NBA physicality.
Gueye is recovering from a foot injury, so his chance to join the mix depends on getting healthy first. For both Newell and Ejiofor, the job is straightforward in theory and difficult in practice: defend well enough to stay on the floor, rebound, and give enough on offense to justify the minutes.
That’s the kind of thing Snyder and his staff can start sorting out right away in camp. One of them could grab an early edge, and that’s exactly what these few days are for.
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Trae Youngs Hawks Frustration Just Reopened One Brutal Debate
Trae Youngs latest comments about his time in Atlanta put an old roster question right back in the spotlight. The Hawks have spent years trying to build around Young as the offensive engine, and his remarks invite a fresh look at how the team constructed those playoff groups, what happened when Dejounte Murray arrived, and why the balance of those lineups never quite felt settled enough to ease the burden on Young.
Atlantas recent history gives the critique some real weight. The Hawks did not get the kind of consistent second star presence that usually bends a defense, and the Murray pairing did not produce the lift the franchise hoped for while they shared the backcourt. Even if the broader debate is still open, Youngs frustration taps into the same issue the Hawks have been wrestling with all along - whether they ever gave him the kind of offensive partner who could truly change the way opponents defended them. [Read more 🡒]
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The Hawks have quietly made some room in their backcourt, and that matters for a rookie like Kingston Flemings. By trimming down the guard group, Atlanta has opened a clearer developmental lane for the young point guard, giving the team a chance to be patient with him instead of forcing him into a role before he is ready.
There is still a veteran presence in the mix to help carry some of the burden, which should make the transition easier for Flemings as he settles into the league. For a team looking to grow him the right way, the message feels pretty clear: let the rookie learn, let the minutes come naturally, and resist the urge to rush him into a starting job too soon. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Just Put Onsi Saleh In Position To Strike Again
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That setup matters because the midseason deadline could offer Atlanta a chance to keep reshaping the roster without boxing itself in. The Hawks also appear ready for a busy offseason in free agency, which gives Saleh room to keep threading the needle between present competitiveness and future maneuverability. When a team has that much financial freedom, the next move is often less about if it will happen than when and in what direction. [Read more 🡒]