The 2024-25 NBA season is still only two months away, so it seems like a good time to reflect on the offseason they had and what they will look like when the season opens. For the Atlanta Hawks, they have a lot of new pieces and a lot of questions about themselves heading into the season. They traded Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, EJ Liddell, Cody Zeller and two first-round picks and they drafted French forward Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick. This will be a different team and one of the many questions the Hawks need to answer is what their starting lineup will be.
Let’s see what this could be.
Looking at the Hawks roster, there are only two players who are guaranteed to be starters heading into the season. Trae Young and Jalen Johnson are the two best players on the Hawks and are easy starters. Young will have the offense revolving around him and Johnson will hope to continue to improve and take another step forward as a player. But the rest of the roster isn’t as safe.
The other starting guard alongside Young will be either Bogdan Bogdaonovic or recently acquired Dyson Daniels. Bogdanovic is one of Atlanta’s best players, but he’s been a great player to bring in off the bench. Bogdanovic is one of the best shooters and scorers in the NBA, but he and Young make for a tough backcourt defensively. Daniels is one of the best defenders in the league, but his three-point shooting is the question mark. If Daniels can be a reliable three-point shooter and a second point guard on the floor with Young, he makes the most sense and that allows the Hawks to bring Bogdanovic in off the bench. The Hawks’ defense needs to improve this season and Daniels helps them the most in that category.
The starting right wing will be either De’Andre Hunter or Risacher. Hunter has dealt with injuries during his time in Atlanta, but he showed some offensive progress last year and remains a solid defender. After returning from injury last year, Hunter played well as a backup and finished the year with a career-best three-pointer.
Dre in 5th year:
15.6 PPG (career high)
38.5% 3PT (career high)
45.9% shooting success rate pic.twitter.com/9RzAs0BxBx— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) May 15, 2024
To start the year, I would bet on Hunter starting while Risacher comes in, that way there won’t be too much pressure on him right off the bat. It’s nice to have a bench of Bogdanvoic, Hunter, and either Clint Capela or Onyeka Okongwu that’s interesting and gives the Hawks solid options with the second unit. Having Hunter is a plus on this team.
Risacher will be a key part of the Hawks’ future, but he could be a backup until he shows he can start. He’s known as a good shooter and a solid defender and would be good to get plenty of playing time alongside Trae Young.
The Hawks still have Capela and Okongwu on their roster and it will be interesting to see how Quin Snyder wants to deploy them. Capela has been the Hawks’ starter for the past four seasons, but it may be time to find out if Okongwu is ready to be a starter and a big part of the future. I think Okongwu and Johnson are a solid defensive duo and I would like to see him get the opportunity to start. Since he was selected 6th overall in 2020, the Hawks have yet to know if he is the center of the future. Capela is still a good defender and rebounder, but he has regressed as he has aged. That will be one of the key questions for the Hawks this season.
It will be interesting to see Quin Snyder sort through these pieces and field the best team each night. The Hawks have options and they might be a better team than most think.
