Three Biggest Things To Watch In Atlanta's Second Preseason Game

The Hawks will take on the Grizzlies tomorrow night and try to win their first preseason game

Oct 6, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) dribbles the ball during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The NBA preseason is going to roll on tomorrow night for the Atlanta Hawks and there are 12 days before the games begin to count. The Hawks have their season opener against the Toronto Raptors in less than two weeks, but they still have three more preseason games to play and the next one up is tomorrow night vs the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Hawks had a solid preseason debut with their new look squad on Monday night vs Houston. While the Rockets were missing Kevin Durant, they still had their aresenal of talented players including Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and others to throw at Atlanta. Atlanta started off slow, but found their footing in the second quarter and played one of the contenders in the Western Conference tight. After the first half, the Hawks and Rockets both began to sit their main contributors and the deep bench guys came into play.

Heading into Saturday night, what are going to be some things to watch for the Hawks against the Grizzlies?

1. Will the rotations change at all?

Oct 6, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) reacts after a play during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

In the first half against the Rockets, Atlanta used nine players in their main rotations. Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson, and Kristaps Porzingis were the starters while Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Onyeka Okongwu, Luke Kennard, and Keaton Wallace came off the bench.

Will any of that change on Saturday night? You can never really guess what a head coach is going to do in the preseason and Quin Snyder could decide to experiment with different players playing alongside each other. Will Mouhamed Gueye get more first half run? What about Vit Krejci or Asa Newell? Those are players who could see some real run at times this upcoming season and play with the top eight or nine guys. Keep an eye out to see if things change in the first half or if Snyder keeps it the same.

2. Backup Ball Handling

Sep 29, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mandatory Credit: Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) poses for a photo during Media Day. Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

One of the big questions about the Hawks coming into the season was about what happens with the playmaking and shot creation when Trae Young is not on the floor. On Monday night, Nickeil Alexander-Walker got the first crack at the backup point guard minutes and shared the floor with Daniels and Kennard, the other two playmakers the Hawks are taking a look at. Keaton Wallace also got minutes in the first and second half.

Will Snyder keep things the same on Saturday night? Will Wallace see more minutes in the first half? This is going to be a key storyline at the beginning of the season for Atlanta.

3. Bounce back game for Zaccharie Risacher?

Oct 6, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) and Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) attempt to get control of a loose ball during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

It is never wise to overreact to one preseason game, but it could have been a much better night for Zaccharie Risacher. Last year's No. 1 pick was 3-9 from the field and 1-6 from three in Monday night's game and for someone who ended last season shooting the ball well, it did not go well for him against Houston.

Again, this is the preseason and Risacher is still a very young player, but Hawks fans are going to want to see him hit some shots and have a more encouraging performance on Saturday night.