The Atlanta Hawks may not need much more from Kingston Flemings this summer.
With summer league rolling on, the No. 8 pick has already given the Hawks a strong early read on what he can be. He has not been flawless in his first real NBA action, but the parts that matter most have jumped off the floor. Flemings was known in college as a playmaker, and that trait has carried over quickly.
That matters in Atlanta because the Hawks have been missing a steady creator. Since Trae Young left in early January, the team has managed fine, but it has still felt the absence of a guard who can make life easier for everyone else. Replacing that kind of presence is never simple.
Young’s time in Atlanta brought plenty of positives, especially his vision. But he also gave the ball away often, and that’s part of the package the Hawks are now trying to refine as they move forward. Flemings has shown the kind of balance they want: careful, but willing to attack.
Through three summer league games, he has helped drive an impressive Hawks offense while piling up assists and keeping turnovers low. His numbers tell the story plainly: 22 assists and just three turnovers. That’s a sharp ratio, and it goes a long way toward explaining why Atlanta can live with the uneven shooting.
And the shooting has been uneven. But summer league is rarely a clean measuring stick for scoring efficiency, especially for guards.
Plenty of top players have looked rough there before finding their rhythm later. What usually stands out sooner is whether a guard can organize an offense without creating extra problems.
Flemings has done that.
He’s still a developing player, and there’s a long way to go before he becomes the best version of himself. Even so, the Hawks have already seen the core of what they drafted. Kingston Flemings looks like a point guard’s point guard.
In Other News...
Hawks Rookie Is Betting Big On Himself In Las Vegas
Henri Veesaar is getting his first real taste of the NBA spotlight in Las Vegas, where the Hawks second-round pick is using Summer League to begin his rookie season and show why Atlanta took a chance on him. After transferring from Arizona to North Carolina and then entering the draft, the 7-footer saw his stock slide before the Hawks grabbed him at No. 52, a landing spot that put a little more pressure on every possession from the start.
Through his first games, Veesaar has already given Atlanta a glimpse of both sides of the equation. There has been encouraging scoring and rebounding, the kind of early production that can keep a rookie in the conversation, but there have also been turnovers and other rough edges that still need sanding down. For a player trying to turn a summer showcase into a real role, the next few outings matter just as much as the first ones. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Wiggins Might Be The Hawks' Smartest Move This Summer
The Hawks spent much of the summer reshaping the roster through re-signings, the draft and a trade for Aaron Wiggins, a move that did not draw nearly as much attention as some of their other business but could wind up mattering just as much. Wiggins arrives from Oklahoma City with a reputation for defense and dependable three-point shooting, two traits Atlanta has made a point of adding as it tries to sharpen the edges of its rotation.
What makes the move interesting is how quickly Wiggins could become more than just another bench addition. Atlanta expects to keep developing him within the rotation, and there is a real path for him to carve out a major role behind the starters if his game translates the way the Hawks believe it can. For a team trying to balance immediate depth with longer-term flexibility, that kind of under-the-radar addition can end up being the smartest one of all. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Interest In Peyton Watson May Come With A Familiar Catch
Peyton Watson has become one of the more interesting names on the restricted free-agent market, and the Hawks are among the teams keeping tabs. Atlantas interest makes sense on paper: Watson is still young, has upside, and fits the kind of long-term swing teams often explore when they want to add athleticism without waiting for the draft. The Clippers are also in the mix, which only adds to the intrigue around a player whose next move may depend less on talent than on how creative a team is willing to get.
For Atlanta, though, the familiar catch is roster math. A sign-and-trade would require the Hawks to move players to make the deal work, and that is where the conversation gets complicated. Brooklyn has the cap space to sign Watson outright, but it does not sound eager to meet the salary he is seeking, leaving the market in a holding pattern while interested teams weigh whether the price and the mechanics line up. [Read more 🡒]