Atlanta opened 1-0 with a 132-125 win in Orlando, and the numbers behind it point in two directions. The core carries real proof from last season, while the depth and the way 2025-26 ended still need answers before the Oct. 23 trip to Charlotte.
The Five That Earned Trust
Daniels, Johnson, Okongwu, McCollum and Alexander-Walker logged 391 minutes across 30 games last season, scoring at 123.1 and allowing 102.8. That plus-20.3 is the strongest evidence this core works together. It does not lock in a 2026-27 rotation: Quin Snyder closed in Orlando with Aaron Wiggins in McCollum's spot, and Wiggins played 32 minutes to McCollum's 25. The same core with a different fifth man sat at plus-2.7 over 304 minutes, so the margin depends on who fills that last chair.
How Last Season Ended
Atlanta went 46-36 with a 2.2 net rating, but the final ten games ran at minus-11.8 a night. One road win does not erase that slide, and the slide does not cancel a full year of positive margin. The opener showed both sides: a 14-point lead, a 10-point deficit and 22 lead changes. Locked On Hawks host Brad Rowland counted 14 Atlanta fouls in the third quarter, when Orlando ran off 11 straight and carried a 100-99 lead into the fourth. Alexander-Walker answered with 11 fourth-quarter points.
Depth Meets the Hornets
The starters scored 98 of the 132; the bench added 34, with Wiggins at 16 and Jock Landale at 10, while rookie Kingston Flemings finished minus-5 in 15 minutes. Henri Veesaar is out for the year and Mouhamed Gueye until an estimated Nov. 20, so that split may hold for a while. Charlotte posted a 4.9 net rating last season, better than Atlanta's, and played slower at 97.6 against the Hawks' 102.5. The Hornets list Kon Knueppel, Coby White and Grant Williams as day-to-day, and Knueppel averaged 18.5 points last season. On paper Charlotte holds the edge. One game into the season, neither 1-0 record says much yet.
What was the Hawks' best lineup last season?
Daniels, Johnson, Okongwu, McCollum and Alexander-Walker posted a plus-20.3 net rating in 391 minutes over 30 games. No other Atlanta five with real minutes came close.
When do the Hawks play the Hornets?
Atlanta visits Charlotte on Oct. 23, with both teams 1-0. Kon Knueppel, Coby White and Grant Williams are listed day-to-day for the Hornets.
