Stock Up, Stock Down For The Atlanta Hawks After Their Opening Night Loss to Toronto

Which players stock went up last night after the Hawks blowout loss to the Raptors?

Oct 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) shoots against the Toronto Raptors in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

That was not how opening night was supposed to go.

In the most anticipated season opener in years for the Atlanta Hawks, they had about as poor of a performance as you could, losing 138-118 to the Raptors. The transition defense was brutal, the Hawks' offense looked clunky all night, and the big offseason additions did not make much of an impact on the game at all.

For a team that was supposed to compete for the Eastern Conference crown, this was not the way they wanted to open the season. It is just one game of course, but is it time to sound some alarm bells for Atlanta?

Here are the players who saw their stock go up and some who saw their stock go down in the loss to Toronto.

Stock Up: Jalen Johnson

Oct 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) drives to the basket against the Toronto Raptors in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Let's hit the lone bright spot for the Hawks last night.

Jalen Johnson played for the first time since exiting last season with a season ending shoulder injury and he looked pretty good in his first game back.

Johnson nearly claimed a triple-double, tallying 22 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds in nearly 35 minutes of game action last night. While the defense was not the best, Johnson looked strong getting to the rim and finding open guys. He continues to show he might have an All-Star season despite the Hawks rough night.

2. Stock Down: Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Some out there (meaning me) thought that Alexander-Walker was going to have a season worthy enough to be considered for the 6th Man Of the Year Award this season and while he still may, he is going to have to have a much better performance than the one he had last night.

It was night a good night on either end of the floor for NAW. He finished 2-15 from the field, including 1-5 from three. His shot was not there for the Hawks and he did not play his finest defensive game either. I fully expect him to bounce back, but his stock is trending down for now.

3. Stock Down: Luke Kennard

Oct 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Luke Kennard (3) tries to dribble against Houston Rockets guard JD Davison (4) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

It was not a good night for the Hawks new additions.

Like Alexander-Walker, Kennard had a rough night on offense, which is the area of the game where he is supposed to give the Hawks the biggest lift. Kennard was 2-7 last night and only 1-5 from three. Not only that, but he played some of the worst defense of anyone on the team last night.

Now, Kennard is one of the greatest shooters that the NBA has ever seen and I don't think you are going to see many games where he is shooting 1-5. But he did last night and he is trending down right now, but he will have plenty of chances to bounce back and I think that he is going to.