ESPN's Top 100 NBA Players List Has Two Glaring Omissions From The Atlanta Hawks

In a list of the top 100 players in the NBA, two of the most important Hawks somehow did not make the cut.

Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the third quarter of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ranking the top 100 players in the NBA is, admittedly, not an easy feat. The talent level in the league has never been higher and the apron era has further punished wasted roster spaces. Therefore, the most sustainable approach to contention has been to pivot away from stacking star talent. The best rosters in the league have a well-rounded bevy of role players that contribute to the game in different, but impactful ways.

Take the reigning champions. In ESPN's recent top 100 ranking, the Knicks' entire starting lineup made the cut. Jalen Brunson got the highest ranking with the No. 6 spot, but Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart also made the list. In addition to those top-100 players, the Knicks also got solid performances from Landry Shamet, Mitchell Robinson, Deuce McBride and Jose Alvarado in the postseason.

Fortunately, the Hawks' front office seems to recognize this and prioritized depth this summer. The result is a roster that is short on star power, but has a lot of talented players to switch in and out of the lineups. That's reflected in the top 100 list.

Atlanta had four representatives on the list - CJ McCollum, Lu Dort, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jalen Johnson. However, there were two glaring snubs that should have merited inclusion. Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu made a strong case for the top 100 with their performances last season - it's a profound mistake to leave them off the list entirely.

Why Daniels and Okongwu Were Snubbed

Nov 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) and forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) react after defeating the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

On one hand, it is reasonable to say that Dyson's limitations as a shooter put a ceiling on how much he can realistically contribute. He shot a dreadful 18.8% from deep on 1.5 attempts per game, which is essentially the same level of spacing that a center provides. It allows the other team to put their weakest defender on Daniels because he simply isn't going to make them pay by converting his possessions into threes.

However, this view is a bit reductive of everything Dyson contributes as a player. He's arguably the best guard rebounder in the NBA (6.8 boards per game, 100th percentile relative to position) and brings above-average passing to a team that lacks creators outside of Jalen Johnson. Daniels has also cemented himself as one of the five best perimeter defenders in the NBA, which has immense value in the regular season.

He is a flawed player in the postseason, but that's true of numerous players who made the top 100 cut. This season is an excellent opportunity for Daniels to show that he's capable of growing into one of the most valuable all-around starters in the NBA.

The argument for leaving Okongwu off the list is harder to understand. He shot a career-best 37.6% from deep on a career-high 5.2 attempts per game. He graded out in the 93rd percentile or better for offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, steals and blocks per game. Furthermore, he showed these numbers weren't a mirage. The postseason was rough for many Hawks, but Okongwu actually performed reasonably well. He shot 45.5% from deep on 3.7 attempts a game and Atlanta's offense was 9.2 points per 100 posssessions with him on the floor. He also shot a whopping 93.8% at the rim when the Hawks were able to penetrate New York's defense and find him around the basket.

He got obliterated by OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson, but Okongwu held his own in his minutes against KAT. Across 157 possessions, Towns scored 17.7 points per 75 mins. He was relative efficient against Okongwu, but Towns was absolutely lethal as a shooter for the Knicks throughout the postseason. Okongwu was one of the few who gave him a challenge at times.

In my opinion, the biggest reason Okongwu was left off the list is past performance. He took a few seasons to develop into this type of player and that might have been hard to forget. However, he's played at this level for about 1.5 seasons now. Assuming he stays healthy, he should be up for another big leap in 2026-27 and I think it is foolish to not have him on this list.

Regardless of where they are ranked by the media consensus, I fully expect that both Okongwu and Daniels will be very important for the Hawks. If they both stay healthy, they should deliver top-100 impact and prove that this snub was a mistake.