The Atlanta Hawks Can't Afford To Ignore This Flaw As They Build Their 2026-27 Roster

Last season, the Atlanta Hawks were 1st in assists per game during the regular season, 3rd in assists to turnover ratio, 4th in assist percentage and only 10th in turnovers per game. By several metrics, they were one of the better passing teams in the NBA.

However, the quality of their playmaking outside of Jalen Johnson is going to be a critical pivot point for how successful they are next season.

Atlanta's done a lot this season to add more ball-handlers. They re-signed CJ McCollum, drafted a rookie point guard in Kingston Flemings and supplemented their backcourt further with Devin Carter to ostensibly replace Keaton Wallace as the fourth point guard in their rotation. Any growth from Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker will also enhance the quality of their overall playmaking.

For them to take the next step as a team, it is critical that someone steps up to support their star PF as a passer. While they may be able to survive to an extent in the regular season by running things almost exclusively through JJ, that won't work if the Hawks have any hope of being a more dangerous threat in the postseason.

The Hawks Orbit Around Jalen Johnson

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Johnson, Jalen Johnson, — Mar 12, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) looks for a pass against Brooklyn Nets forward Danny Wolf (2) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

By now, there shouldn't be any doubt about whether Jalen Johnson can adequately fill the role of lead playmaker for the Hawks. He ranked in the 94th percentile among forwards last season for points created and rim assists per game while carrying a staggering AST% of 33.5%. That means that he was among the best in terms of creating high percentage looks for teammates and he did it on a heavy diet of touches. He dictated most of the possessions for Atlanta and had an on-ball percentage of 27.8%, which ranked in the 95th percentile relative to his position. Unsurprisingly, the Hawks relied a lot on him to run the offense and he did a pretty good job.

That being said, Johnson isn't the healthiest player. The Hawks were very lucky that he played 72 games last season considering that he'd played a combined 92 games over the two seasons prior. If he misses time in the regular season, they'll have to rely more on the guards for playmaking duties and it's currently a question as to how effective the Hawks' offense can be when it's not oriented around Johnson.

Who Can Help Him?

Dyson Daniels, who's nominally the point guard on the team, ranked in the 80th percentile for his position in AST FG%. He's a decent passer, but he's not on Johnson's level whatsoever. For example, he only ranked in the 47th percentile for rim assists per game, 40th percentile for potential assists and carried a bad pass turnover percentage of 9.6% during the regular season. I do think Daniels carries the most potential for improvement as a playmaker and he's only 23 years old. However, the pressure will be on him to not only improve as a passer, but further develop as a shooter so that he can stay on the floor during late-game possessions.

CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are likely going to be important for the upcoming season as passers and they fared decently well during the regular season. NAW was in the 91st percentile for rim assists, averaged a career-high 3.7 assists per game and had moments where he made some really impressive reads. McCollum averaged 3.9 assists and actually posted a whopping 12.1 potential assists per 100 possessions, indicating that he got somewhat unlucky last season. Even so, he carried a notable turnover percentage of 11.6% last season and he's never been a particularly standout passer.

It is also possible that the Hawks could get something from Kingston Flemings in this department, but I personally think that will be more inconsistent. Rookies usually take some time to adjust to NBA speed and even a playmaker as advanced as Flemings will go through some initial growing pains.

The Hawks Could Be Passing Up A Higher Postseason Ceiling

The regular season stats don't paint as dire of a picture for the Hawks. Yet, the playoffs present a different view. Even though it's only a sample of six games, the fact remains that the Hawks were 10th out of 16 teams in AST/TO ratio and 11th in turnover percentage. Furthermore, out of the 91 players who logged over 20 minutes per game and played at least four games in the NBA postseason, McCollum and NAW ranked 89th and 80th, respectively, in terms of AST/TO ratio. Those two also logged minuscule assist percentages of 11.5% and 11.6% respectively.

Until further notice, the Hawks don't have a reliable halfcourt passer who can complement Johnson in situations where the defense gets physical with him and jumps into passing lanes. The Knicks showed that Atlanta's offense can get significantly neutered if Johnson is limited as a playmaker and the rest of the Eastern Conference is better set up to do that in 2026-27.

New York didn't lose any of their standout perimeter defenders. Miami added one of the most versatile defenders of the generation in Giannis Antetokounmpo. Philadelphia added two strong on-ball defenders in Jaylen Brown and Dean Wade. Toronto is expected to add Kawhi Leonard to a team that already has two physical perimeter defenders in Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles. Even though he's often unavailable, the Boston Celtics' defense will certainly benefit from adding someone of Paul George's caliber. Even the Charlotte Hornets added some improved defensive personnel in Royce O'Neale and Naz Reid.

There is certainly a pathway towards the Hawks being less reliant on Jalen Johnson next season. That doesn't mean that Johnson is holding them back. Rather, it'd be better for the Hawks' overall ceiling if there were multiple options for running the offense should Johnson be limited through injury or opponent gameplan.

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