The Atlanta Hawks get one last preseason run at home Friday night, and the biggest question hanging over State Farm Arena is simple: who actually plays?
Oklahoma City, the 2025 NBA Champions, are already making that decision for themselves. The Thunder are sitting all of their veterans and will roll out only rookies, two-way players, and Exhibit 10 players against Atlanta. That setup usually opens the door for a long night of evaluation, not a full dress rehearsal.
The Hawks are the real mystery. Through their first three preseason games, Quin Snyder has mostly let the rotation work, though Atlanta has sat at least one starter in each of those contests. With one more preseason game still waiting on Friday, there’s a real chance this turns into a shorter night for the Hawks than the first three tune-ups.
There are also a couple of familiar Oklahoma City names worth keeping an eye on if they do take the floor. Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins were important pieces in the Thunder’s rise before cost concerns and the second apron pushed them out for multiple second-round picks. Whether either one gets a meaningful run tonight is unclear, but it’s part of the story.
So far this preseason, Dort has appeared in only one of Atlanta’s three games. Wiggins has played in all three, and his best showing came Saturday against the Pacers, when he put up 13 first-half points and knocked down 3 of 6 from deep.
If Oklahoma City stays committed to a deep reserve-heavy look, Atlanta could follow suit and open the door for some lesser-used names to get extended minutes. That would put the spotlight on Kobe Johnson, Cameron Corhen, Jalen Wilson, RayJ Dennis, and Keshon Gilbert, who has missed the last two games, along with first-round rookie Zuby Ejiofor.
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Aaron Wiggins Is Showing Why The Hawks Needed Him This Summer
Aaron Wiggins has wasted little time giving the Hawks a preview of why they wanted him in the first place. Added this summer, he has looked comfortable as a perimeter threat in preseason action, the kind of player who can help bend a defense and create the floor spacing Atlanta needs around its key pieces.
The shot profile is what makes Wiggins worth watching as the regular season gets closer. Atlanta has been looking for reliable help from the outside, and Wiggins has shown enough touch to suggest he can matter in the rotation right away. If that carries over, the Hawks may have found a useful piece for a roster that needs more shooting than most teams can afford to ignore. [Read more 🡒]