How the Atlanta Hawks Can Maximize Their Three Rookies This Season

The Atlanta Hawks got red-hot to end the season, going 20-6 after the All-Star Break and making the playoffs, avoiding the play-in tournament for the first time since 2021. It was an up-and-down series against the Knicks, who eventually won the NBA Championship, and that gave Atlanta momentum heading into the offseason.

Sometimes when teams get a little taste of success like that, they can try to accelerate their timeline and make win-now moves, but Atlanta did not do that. They stayed patient, got younger by drafting three rookies in a stacked 2026 draft, and made some moves on the margins to improve their depth in hopes of making it back to the postseason.

Speaking of those three rookies, what kind of impact can Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor, and Henri Veesaar expect to make in year one? Rookies tend to have a tough time adjusting to the NBA level, even the most talented players, and patience is usually required.

Here is how the Hawks can maximize each of these three players this season.

Kingston Flemings

We will have to wait and see what happens with other guards on the roster, such as Ryan Nembhard and Devin Carter, but there is a real chance that the Hawks could let Flemings have the backup point guard role from the outset of the season and I think that would be best for him.

Flemings showed in Summer League that he already has a good feel for the game when it comes to playmaking and the most important factor was that he rarely turned the ball over. For Flemings to have the trust of head coach Quin Snyder, not turning the ball over and letting the other team have extra possessions is going to be essential.

Winning the possession battle is crucial in the NBA and with the Hawks not being one of the better rebounding teams in the league, they can't allow that to be compacted with turnovers.

Shooting is also going to be something that Flemings has to do consistently. That was the biggest area of improvement he needed coming out of Summer League and to make sure that teams are guarding him and not just leaving him open, hitting shots are going to be vital. Flemings was able to show his ability to get to the rim, but had trouble finishing.

I think letting Flemings play early on in this role would be best for him and by the end of the year, the hope is that he has shown enough to be a member of the playoff rotation. He was drafted to be a part of this young core moving forward and this would allow the team to get a look at him in that role.

Zuby Ejiofor

Ejiofor is in an interesting position heading into the 2026-2027 season. With the news that Mouhamed Gueye injured his foot and he will not be re-evaluated until Novemeber potentially, that leaves the door open for him to take some minutes in the rotation as the backup power forward.

Gueye was the favorite for that role behind Jalen Johnson, but his injury will mean that he misses training camp and the preseason. The only other power forwards on the roster are Ejiofor and last year's first round pick Asa Newell. Newell has the experience edge on Ejiofor, but he spent most of last season in the G-League and Ejiofor outperformed him during Summer League.

Given the injury news to Gueye and the lack of proven options behind Jalen Johnson, there is an opening for Ejiofor and I think he might get a shot to play some minutes early in the year. If it goes well, he might continue to get those minutes, and if it does not, it would not be the worst thing for him to spend some of or a lot of the season in the G-League.

Atlanta develops well in College Park and if Ejiofor is not ready for real NBA minutes, he can take advantage of that opportunity.

Henri Veesaar

Veesaar has the offensive skills that you want in a modern NBA big. He can space the floor at a high-level, is effective in the pick and roll, and has tools to be a good rebounder and deterrent at the rim.

As Summer League showed though, it might be a year or two before Veesaar is ready to play at the NBA level. His ability to hit shots from deep is his best attribute right now, but everything else needs a lot of work.

There is a reason Veesaar was looked at as a borderline first round talent and I think he could be a real rotational player in the future, but to maximize his talent this year, he should spend most of the year in the G-League, barring injury.

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