Biggest Lessons and Takeaways From Atlanta Hawks First Week Of Training Camp

Just like that, the Atlanta Hawks have left Nashville and are getting ready to play their first preseason game on Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Hawks did not have wholesale changes this offseason, but added veteran depth and talented rookies to their team, hoping that will be the difference in just simply making the playoffs and winning a series this time around.

With the first week of training camp wrapped up, what are our key takeaways from the past four days of practice?

1. Hawks love their depth and chemistry

The starting lineup for the Hawks will (should) remain the same for the Hawks this season and given the success that the CJ McCollum-Dyson Daniels-Nickiel Alexander-Walker- Jalen Johnson-Onyeka Okongwu lineup had, the Hawks should roll with it until Quin Snyder has a reason not to.

But where the Hawks should be better is the depth. In the series loss to the Knicks, Atlanta could not depend on any bench option other than Jonathan Kuminga, especially with Jock Landale out. Landale is back and hoping to stay healthy, but Atlanta has brought in Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and drafted Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor, and Henri Veesaar (who is out for the year) in hopes of making this a physical, defensive minded team.

Snyder spoke about the chemistry the team has been building and what things have looked like so far:

"But fundamentally, we took some steps to really carve out and begin to build an identity. Seeing where that is, seeing how quickly we embrace that again. is really important. I think that's the foundation we want to build on. And I felt like we were focused on the right things, which allows us to do the next thing."

The East got more competitive, but the Hawks are hoping this new chemistry, depth, and identity will set them apart and make them playoff contenders.

Defense leading the way

With Dyson Daniels, Lu Dort, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Onyeka Okongwu, Aaron Wiggins, Mouhamed Gueye, and Zuby Ejiofor, the Hawks have a group of players who can make the Hawks defense one of the best in the NBA.

Atlanta might not be there yet, but Snyder complemented the defense and how far along it was at the start of camp:

"Yeah, I think particularly early in the year, really the whole year, but your defense is usually ahead of your offense. And that's okay, as long as your defense is good. So that's been a point in Memphis for us, you know, really. since last year and so guys coming out and having that focus is really good and offensively we'll get to know each other even from the personnel standpoint more over time so it's good to see the effort and the focus and communication is a big part of defending too and that's for a group that we're really trying to meld to see that early is a good thing."

Atlanta is going to be a tough team to play night in and night out with their defensive talent and they can lean on that while the offense catches up.

Jalen Johnson helping out the rookies

This is the first season where Jalen Johnson is going to enter the year as the face of the franchise in Atlanta. After an All-NBA season and an All-Star appearance, Johnson is hoping to take another step in 2026-2027 and part of that is by being a leader.

Johnson has embraced that role and talked about it this week, including working out with them this summer:

"Just immediately, because I know it's tough as a rookie sometimes. Sometimes it's like a deer lost in the headlights. Sometimes you don't know who to go to until you get to the team. So I just wanted to reach out my hand and just show them, just give them that opportunity and continue to build that relationship with them. So when we come into training camp in these type of environments, it's not like I'm trying to get to know them. I just had dinners out in LA. So just continue to build on that relationship with them. You see their confidence when they're in practice. So the more confidence they have, at the end of the day, we're going to need them. And they're going to be ready when the time comes."

Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort are going to be major impact players from day one

Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort are used to competing for championships and that kind of experience is going to be invaluable for Atlanta this season. Both are good defenders, with Dort being one of the NBA's best, and Wiggins still has room to grow on both ends, but is already a versatile defender and good three-point shooter.

Wiggins talked about the transition earlier this week and how seamless it has been:

" It's truthfully been a very smooth transition. These guys have a similar just kind of way about themselves in terms of, you know, the relationships that they already have, hanging out with each other outside of, you know, basketball, different conversations. And, I mean, we've done some activities outside of, you know, being together on the court that has continued to kind of build a relationship and bring us together. So it's been fun. The energy you can see, you know, amongst the team is youthful, and it's fun to be fun."

Big seasons are expected from these two and they will be key in the Hawks getting back to the postseason.

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