Hawks Nightly

Jalen Johnson is the engine. Last season he played 72 games and averaged 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists in 35.2 minutes, with a 35.2 percent mark from three and a plus-2.6 on the floor. He is 24 and entering his fifth year. Nickeil Alexander-Walker gave Atlanta a second scorer last season, averaging 20.8 points across 78 games on 39.9 percent from three. CJ McCollum, now 35 and in year 13, added 18.7 points per game in 76 appearances. Onyeka Okongwu, listed at forward-center, put up 15.2 points and 7.6 rebounds in 31.0 minutes. Dyson Daniels is the connector: 11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.9 assists last season, with a team-best plus-4.0 among the regulars, though he shot just 18.8 percent from three.

The group of McCollum, Alexander-Walker, Okongwu, Johnson and Daniels was Atlanta's best lineup last season by a wide margin. In 30 games and 391.0 minutes together it posted a net rating of 20.3. The next most used group swapped Zaccharie Risacher in for McCollum and landed at a net of 2.7 across 31 games. Risacher is now in Dallas, so that version is gone. The unit with Corey Kispert in place of McCollum played 15 games at a net of minus-0.9. The question for the staff is how often the top five shares the floor and who takes the minutes when McCollum sits. Luguentz Dort, who posted a plus-4.3 last season in 26.8 minutes a night, is the obvious defensive option on the wing.

Five players from last season's group are gone. Jonathan Kuminga signed on with Minnesota. Zaccharie Risacher is with Dallas. Buddy Hield went to Chicago. Gabe Vincent and Christian Koloko are unsigned free agents. On the way in, the roster lists three rookies: Henri Veesaar at center, Kingston Flemings at guard at age 19, and Zuby Ejiofor at forward. Asa Newell, 21, and Keshon Gilbert, 23, each have a year of experience. Gilbert saw only 4 games last season. Dorian Finney-Smith, 33 and in his tenth year, gives the forward group a veteran. Jock Landale and Aaron Wiggins return as rotation pieces after averaging 10.6 and 9.4 points last season. The front office also made cuts, waiving Cameron Corhen and Kobe Johnson on 2026-10-17, as reported in the transaction log.

Two names are out to start the year. Mouhamed Gueye is sidelined with a left foot injury, with an estimated return of 2026-11-20. That takes a 23-year-old forward out of the frontcourt mix for the first month. Henri Veesaar, the rookie center, is out with a right knee injury and is not expected back until 2027-07-01, which means his first season is effectively lost. With Veesaar out, the center minutes behind Okongwu fall to Jock Landale, who played 68 games and averaged 5.7 rebounds last season. The rest of the roster is healthy heading into the opener. Atlanta's depth at guard is the strength: McCollum, Alexander-Walker, Daniels, Dort, Wiggins, RayJ Dennis, Gilbert and Flemings are all listed at the position.

Atlanta finished 46-36 last season with an offensive rating of 115.0 and a defensive rating of 112.9, a net of 2.2. The team scored 118.5 points per game at a pace of 102.5. Shooting efficiency was solid: 55.4 effective field goal percentage and 58.4 true shooting. Those are the figures the current group has to match or beat with the same core five and a thinner bench of shooters after Hield's exit. Kispert, who hit 36.7 percent from three in 58 games last season, and Landale, at 38.3 percent, are the main floor spacers off the bench. Daniels improving from 18.8 percent would change the shape of the starting unit.