One Question Each Atlanta Hawks Rookie Must Answer This Season

The Atlanta Hawks are in a very fortunate position with their rookie class. In a period where draft picks come at a premium, the Hawks landed three players who all have the potential to turn into real contributors for them within the next two years.

It obviously starts with their No. 8 overall selection in Kingston Flemings. Flemings was touted by many to be the best point guard in the draft not named Darryn Peterson. His freshman season at Houston was incredibly special. He led the Cougars in points, assists, steals, 3P% and somehow finished second on the team in defensive rebounds despite being the point guard. There's no reason to be anything short of sky-high on Flemings' potential at this stage.

They made a solid selection at the No. 23 overall selection in St John's big man Zuby Ejiofor. Ejiofor brings a ton of experience combined with excellent rebounding, underrated passing and a solid shooting touch. He also made his mark as one of the premier shot-blockers in the nation, averaging 2.1 blocks per game. Leading the team in points, rebounds, assists and blocks per game is an indication of how thoroughly Ejiofor can contribute once he acclimatizes to the NBA.

Their final selection of the draft came in the second round when they selected center Henri Veesaar out of UNC. Veesaar's main selling point is his shot - he shot 42.6% from three on decent volume while protecting the paint as a seven-footer. He needs to get stronger and develop more on defense, but opportunities will be afforded in the NBA to bigs that shoot at an above-average clip

It's almost a guarentee they won't all hit the ground running and look like future stars in their rookie season. There are going to be some growing pains. However, what are the main questions each player needs to answer in their first season?

Kingston Flemings - Can He Finish At The Rim?

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NB — Nov 3, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) drives as Lehigh Mountain Hawks center Tommy Conniff (44) defends during the second half at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Personally, I do not think Flemings is going to have to answer many questions about his passing and his shooting as a rookie. He already showed flashes of high-level passing during the Summer League circuit and his shooting indicators are good. Even though he only took 3.6 threes a game in college, he shot 84.5% from the line, 44.3% from midrange and took 10.5 midrange attempts per 100 possessions. All of these are above average and paint a very encouraging picture of his ability to space the floor at the NBA level.

However, his finishing at the rim is legitimately concerning. He can get to the rim at a decent clip - he generated nine rim attempts per 100 possessions (86th percentile) in college. However, he only shot 57.2% at the rim itself. In Summer League action, he shot 31.8% from the field and seemed more comfortable finding others for assists rather than taking it to the rim and finishing himself. It's a very small sample size and Summer League is not analagous to the level of NBA action. Nevertheless, it is an important factor to track.

Hovering somewhere around 55-60% at the rim this season would be a very encouraging sign for his development. His main allure on this roster is the difference in physicality he brings to the position over someone like CJ McCollum. If that becomes evident in Year 1, it won't be very hard for the Hawks to part ways with CJ at the end of the year and fully hand the keys over to Flemings as the starting PG/SG next year.

Zuby Ejiofor - Can He Shoot?

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Ejiofor, Zuby Ejiofo — Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA;St. John's Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) shoots the ball /Duke Blue Devils guard Dame Sarr (7) in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In comparison to Flemings, Ejiofor has the biggest jump to make. NBA forwards and centers take a long time to develop in most cases and most rookies at these positions aren't immediately playable as starters or even backups. Ejiofor does have an edge in that he's 22 years old and played four years of college ball. He's going to be immediately helpful as a hustle player who grabs boards and blocks shots. At St. John's, he posted a block percentage of 7.2% (80th percentile) and grabbed 12.1% of available offensive rebounds (80th percentile). He struggled a lot more on defensive rebounding, only grabbing 14.7% of defensive boards (4th percentile). However, I believe that Ejiofor will grow into a strong defensive rebounder due to his motor and reduced role in the NBA. He was St. John's best player and carried them in multiple categories - it wasn't as easy for him to devote all his energy towards the rebounding battle. In the NBA, his simplified role will help him refine his strengths and cut out the weaknesses in his game from doing too much.

In Summer League, he showed improved touch from deep over the 30% of threes he made in his senior season. Zuby hit 35.3% of his threes on about 4.3 attempts a game. It's certainly serviceable, but it remains to be seen whether those percentages will carry over into NBA action. Ejiofor's motor makes him immediately playable as a play finisher and rotation big man, but the shooting touch - or lack thereof - will help him earn further minutes.

Henri Veesaar - Is He Useful Enough On Defense?

Veesaar's role in the NBA is going to be rather miniscule in his rookie season. He doesn't have the draft pedigree of Flemings and he doesn't have the experience of Ejiofor. However, he does have a lot of room to grow on the defensive end of the floor.

During his time at North Carolina, Veesaar posted a BLK% of 3.8%. That ranked in the 75th percentile, but it's not very high relative to other centers. He's a seven-footer - if he's not a solid shot blocker at the NBA level, he likely won't play. He's fine enough in drop coverage, but he's not fast and he lacks the strength to body up other centers on defense.

He does have legitimate touch as a shooter, hitting 53.5% of his midrange shots to go along with above 40% from deep. Veesaar was also a respectable defensive rebounder, grabbing 21.9% of avaliable defensive boards (84th percentile). There's a pathway towards a backup big role in the NBA, but it's fair to wonder if he'd be better served honing his defense in College Park for most of the season before getting a few spot rotation chances due to injuries/rest once the regular season starts to wind down.

Figuring out how he can get slightly stronger while retaining his shot is going to be critical so that he can survive in a greater context of defensive assignments. It'll be fascinating to see whether that defensive improvement can come in Year 1.

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