The Lineup The Atlanta Hawks Should Use More Next Season (And One They Should Avoid)

It seems obvious to say, but the Atlanta Hawks' starting lineup was very good last season.

Their most used five man lineup of Dyson Daniels - Nickeil Alexander-Walker - CJ McCollum - Jalen Johnson - Onyeka Okongwu absolutely obliterated teams during the regular season. In the 344 minutes they played, the Hawks had a +21.8 net rating and a TS% of 61.5%. The team underwent a identity shift by swapping Trae Young out for CJ McCollum and it's very encouraging to see that the shift paid off so positively for the Hawks.

Nevertheless, the Hawks do have to think about changing some things up with their other lineups. Swapping out Zaccharie Risacher, who regressed in his sophomore season, for Lu Dort should be a positive in some regards. Aaron Wiggins is an upgrade over Vit Krejci for the end-of-bench role. However, it's not just about getting better players. Deploying them in the right context is a challenge in itself and it's been a struggle at times for Atlanta's coaching staff.

Even so, there is one lineup in particular that performed well last season - albeit on a small sample size - and I believe that the Hawks should use more this season.

The Non-JJ Lineup That Killed Teams

Databallr, Atlanta Hawks, Hawks, — On a small sample size, the Dyson - NAW backcourt with shooting and strong rebounding produced excellent results | Databallr

The Hawks underwent a decent amount of roster turnover by taking out Zaccharie Risacher, Trae Young, Kristaps Porzingis and Vit Krejci. Risacher and Krejci were both in the top-10 for minutes played, so it was difficult to find lineups that didn't have them. However, this combination of Daniels - NAW - CJ - Gueye - Okongwu produced an absurd combination of two-way success.

They were absurdly efficient by posting an 80.2 TS% and killed teams on the boards with a 52.2% offensive rebounding percentage. The Hawks were not a good offensive rebounding team last season - they were 20th in OREB% per game and averaged the 12th-fewest offensive rebounds per game. The second-chance points that the best teams generate - the Knicks, for example - is critical in both the regular season and postseason. Therefore, Atlanta has to figure out to augment their offensive rebounding this season without compromising the offense or cripping their defense.

The best way to do this is by keeping Onyeka Okongwu on the floor. His 5.2 three-point attempts per game ranked in the 91st percentile among all centers and he finished as a 90th-or-better percentile rebounder on both the offensive and defensive glass. Furthemore, he also averaged 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals per game (96th percentile). The versatility he brings on both ends, in combination with his rebounding, makes him critical to Atlanta's best lineups.

Mo Gueye flashed last season as a shot-blocker who occasionally gets hot from deep. However, his injury could limit the impact he's able to provide this season. While they should try this exact lineup upon Mo's return, I think it would be interesting to replace Gueye with Asa Newell. Per Basketball Reference, Newell measured in at 6-10, 220 lbs while Gueye came in at 210 lbs with a 6'11 frame. The weight is distributed differently, but both players have semblances of a jump shot with shot-blocking upside. Yet, Newell separates himself with a more advanced shot paired with a penchant for second-chance creation. He shot 38.2% from deep on limited volume while grabbing a notable 9.4% of missed shots from teammates. That ranked in the 88th percentile among all power forwards and he's still just 20 years old.

Daniels and NAW are self-explanatory. Both players are great offensive players who can hold up in perimeter defense. Daniels seperates himself as a passer and force in transition while NAW's ability to drive to the rim and average 40% from deep on absurdly high volume (8.1 attempt last season) is remarkable. CJ's shooting creates more space for both players to operate. In my opinion, there isn't much to be gained from taking any of these three out.

Finding lineups that perform well without Jalen Johnson should be critical for the Hawks this season. Johnson obviously drives a lot of their success, but they put a lot on his plate last season. This is one possible way to take some pressure off their star player.

Get Rid of Kispert-Landale-Small Guard Minutes

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, Landale, Jock Landal — Mar 28, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Jock Landale (31) celebrates a three-point shot against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Corey Kispert is making $13.9 million this season, but it's imperative that Snyder plays him as few minutes as possible because he doesn't really fit with anything that the Hawks need right now. He's trending down as a shooter, struggles immensely on defense and lacks chemistry with any of Atlanta's starters or backups.

One of the most frustrating lineup decisions that Snyder made last season was to give an astounding 144 minutes to McCollum - Kispert - Landale combinations. That lineup posted a -6.1 net rating. It lost Atlanta games at times and that combination cannot occur in any sort of significant sample this season. Additionally, the Kispert-Landale duo was particularly damaging. Plugging in NAW, Dyson, JJ or CJ made no difference - all of those lineups produced a net rating of -6 or worse.

Even though Wiggins struggled a lot in 2025-26, he should be firmly above Kispert in the rotation to start. I continue to believe that the Hawks would be better off if they salary-dumped or lumped Kispert into another deal before the season starts in hopes of finding a better fit for their roster.

Lineup experimentation is a crucial part of the regular season and it's inevitable some combinations aren't going to work. However, Snyder must be better about moving off from combinations after they prove to be ineffective rather than shoehorning them in. The moves Atlanta made to improve their depth should help him do exactly that.

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