The preseason serves as a time for young players to battle for roster spots. Coaches use this time to test and tinker with new lineups. Most importantly, it’s the first time fans can see their new offseason additions.
For the Atlanta Hawks, a lot changed in the offseason, and there is reason to be optimistic about the upcoming season.
The preseason offered many takeaways, with Atlanta finishing 4-1. While the Hawks want to figure out who they are in 2026-27, there are some developments that are key to pay attention to. Atlanta wants to build on what they accomplished last season, and the preseason was a first step in doing so.
Dyson Daniels‘ Three-Point Volume
A major headline from last season was just how bad Dyson Daniels was at three-point shooting. Despite averaging 11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.0 steals on 51.7% shooting, all the talk surrounding Daniels was his extremely low three-point percentage.
In terms of volume, his attempts were way down last season compared to 2024-25. He attempted just 117 three-pointers all of last season. Compared to 235 attempts from the previous season, Daniels was reluctant to shoot threes most nights.
At media day, Daniels acknowledged his shooting struggles last season:
“Shooting was very bad last year for me, and it’s been a focal point for me in this offseason,” he said.
This preseason, Daniels attempted 12 threes in four games played. He’s attempted at least three shots from beyond the arc in three of the four games. Last season, he attempted at least that many threes in just 16 games.
The results aren’t there yet, as Daniels made just two threes in his 12 attempts. However, he tried to shoot more in the preseason, and that’s a positive step.
Kingston Flemings Has All the Tools
The Hawks used the eighth pick on Kingston Flemings, a point guard out of Houston. While Flemings is not projected to start, he is expected to make an impact off the bench. His appeal lies in his natural passing and playmaking skills.
In the five preseason games, Flemings totaled 21 assists to only 5 turnovers. Last season, Atlanta ranked top ten in fewest turnovers per game and added perhaps the best playmaking guard from the draft. It remains to be seen what kind of scorer Flemings will become, but his high assists and low turnover rate will keep him in this league for a long time.
CJ McCollum, who’s Atlanta’s expected starting point guard this season, has taken Flemings under his wing and has received high praise for his rookie point guard:
“He’s super smart. Very ahead of his time,” he said.
McCollum is on a one-year deal, and his future with Atlanta is unclear. However, the Hawks have all the faith in the world that Flemings will be their future franchise lead guard.
Asa Newell and Zuby Ejiofor Battle for Potential Role
With Mo Gueye out of the lineup to start the season, Asa Newell and Zuby Ejiofor have been fighting for backup minutes behind Jalen Johnson. The thing is, they’ve been competing all offseason. They played with each other in NBA Summer League and now find themselves fighting for minutes. Both have had notable performances this preseason.
Newell had 12 points and 12 rebounds against the Memphis Grizzlies. He also had back-to-back two-block games against the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. The issue for Newell has been his three-point shooting. Last season, he shot 38.7% from three, but in the preseason, Newell made just two in 17 attempts.
Ejiofor also had some great performances in the preseason. Against the Thunder, he notched 15 points and nine rebounds. However, he played limited minutes in the preseason, as that game against Oklahoma City was the only one he played over 20 minutes in. Newell got at least 20 minutes in two of the five games he played in.
The Hawks used their final preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks as a tune-up game for the regular season. It appears Quin Snyder will run a nine-man rotation that doesn’t consist of Newell or Ejiofor. It is also worth noting that Newell entered the game before Ejiofor. This doesn’t mean that Atlanta’s rotation is set in stone, but Snyder opted for heavy Jock Landale minutes instead.
Though it was just preseason, some important and exciting developments were shown for the Atlanta Hawks.
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