The Hawks are heading into 2026-27 with a clear plan: grow from within. Rather than chasing a major offseason swing, Atlanta is counting on internal development from Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Onyeka Okongwu, and the rest of its young group to make noise in a crowded Eastern Conference.
That same logic is why Kingston Flemings matters so much. Atlanta made him the No. 8 pick in the 2026 draft, then added Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar to the rookie class as well.
All three can help in different ways, but Flemings is the one the Hawks are banking on as a future franchise piece. If he sharpens two specific parts of his game, the path to that ceiling opens fast.
The foundation is already there. Flemings arrives with speed, burst, and real feel as a passer.
At just 19, he already shows uncommon patience in the pick-and-roll and the kind of basketball IQ that lets him read the floor before it fully opens. At the University of Houston, he averaged 5.2 assists against just 1.8 turnovers, and he followed that up with 6.8 assists across Las Vegas and Salt Lake City this summer.
That playmaking showed up again in summer league, but the next step is about making defenses pay for the way they already guard him. Flemings needs to raise both his three-point volume and his finishing at the rim.
The shooting numbers aren’t bad on paper. He hit 38.7% from deep in college, but he only attempted 2.9 threes per game.
In summer league, that pattern held: 3.2 attempts per game from beyond the arc and a 30.8% mark. Too often, he passed up open looks because defenders were sagging off him to protect against his speed.
That’s where Quin Snyder’s message fits. The Hawks coach keeps pushing his players to "let it fly" from deep, and Flemings is in a strong position to take advantage of that green light. If he starts punishing teams for giving him room, defenses will have a harder time deciding whether to back off or chase him off the line and give up driving lanes.
The other swing skill is finishing. Flemings has no problem getting where he wants to go.
He can turn the corner, collapse the defense, and create the kind of paint pressure that opens the floor for everyone else. The issue is what happens once he gets there.
Synergy shows he shot 55% at the rim and 53% on layups, which is workable but far from ideal. In four summer league games, he finished at 50% from the restricted area and just 25% from the rest of the paint. The sample is small, but the trend was clear: he leaned on floaters after beating his defender, and those attempts didn’t fall often enough.
To unlock the next level, Flemings has to get stronger and learn to welcome contact instead of avoiding it. If he does that, he can start cashing in at the free-throw line and turn his rim pressure into something much more dangerous.
If the three-pointer comes along and the finishing tightens up, Atlanta may have something special on its hands: a guard who can score, bend a defense, and create easy looks for everybody else.
In Other News...
Hawks May Have Found A Trade That Changes Their Roster Crunch
The Hawks offseason roster puzzle may be getting a little clearer, with Atlanta and Charlotte reportedly talking about a deal that would involve Buddy Hield and Dorian Finney-Smith ahead of the 2026-2027 NBA season. Finney-Smith already landed with the Hornets earlier this offseason, while Hields salary for next season was guaranteed by the Hawks, putting his contract squarely into the conversation as Atlanta looks for ways to manage its roster and future cap picture.
For a team trying to balance flexibility with actual playing time, the matchup makes some sense on paper. Even so, the math would not fully solve everything, and Atlanta would still be working through a crowded roster picture if talks move forward. No agreement is done yet, but the possibility of another move hanging over the Hawks is exactly the kind of thing that can shape how the rest of the offseason unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Suddenly Have A Frontcourt Problem They Didn't Plan For
Atlantas frontcourt depth took an immediate hit before the new rookie could even get started. Henri Veesaar, the second-round center the Hawks drafted 52nd overall and signed to a four-year deal in July, had been part of the teams long-term plan as a young big man with time to develop.
Instead, the Hawks now have to map out a future without him for a while after the team said he will be sidelined for an extended stretch. The injury creates an unexpected gap in a part of the roster the Hawks were counting on to stabilize, and the next step in his recovery will loom large as the organization waits for more clarity on how to replace that lost development time. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Frontcourt Depth Just Took A Hit Atlanta Could Feel All Year
The Hawks frontcourt plans took a jolt in mid-September when rookie center Henri Veesaar went down with a torn right ACL during a workout, a setback that will keep him out for the entire 2026-2027 season. The injury is expected to send him into surgery and a long rehabilitation process, interrupting what had been a promising early path with Atlanta as he looked to get his footing at the NBA level.
Veesaar was one of the names set to help stabilize the back end of the rotation, and his absence leaves the Hawks thinner in a part of the roster already dealing with issues. Forward Mouhamed Gueye is still recovering from a foot injury, adding another layer of uncertainty as Atlanta tries to sort out its depth and keep enough reliable size available for the long haul. [Read more 🡒]