The Matchup Problem the Atlanta Hawks Still Hasn't Solved (And How to Do It)

The Atlanta Hawks entered the offseason with clear holes on their roster, but they have done a solid job of addressing all of them.

Atlanta needed better depth and to have a potential solution at point guard and center and they drafted two players with big upside. Kingston Flemings has star potential as a point guard and should at least be able to man the backup spot this season while Henri Veesaar could develop into a very good or at least solid center.

It is not just the rookies that will help with the depth. Atlanta traded for Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Ryan Nembhard to help their second unit, on top of bringing back CJ McCollum and Jock Landale back, though McCollum is going to be a starter.

But there is one issue that the Hawks have not solved when it comes to matchups this upcoming season and there are not any easy solutions.

Hawks still have an issue with size

Onyeka Okongwu Atlanta Hawk — Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) is defended by New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) during the second half during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Entering the postseason matchup against the New York Knicks, NBA analysts and fans wondered how Atlanta would deal with the big man duo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson. The answer to that question was the Hawks did not handle it well and it was the biggest mismatch in the series.

Robinson dominated the Hawks second unit and it was because Atlanta did not have a real option behind Onyeka Okongwu at center. They had to scramble to sign Tony Bradley after they lost Jock Landale to injury and also used Mouhamed Gueye at center, though Gueye's frame and skill set are not those of a center, and the Hawks don't view him as one.

There are teams in the Eastern Conference who are going to have center duos who will give the Hawks problems. The Celtics are the first team that comes to mind, with the duo of Mitchell Robinson and Neemias Queta. The Pistons have Jalen Duren (most likely) and Paul Reed and there are a host of teams in the Western Conference that will give Atlanta problems.

So did Atlanta solve this problem?

The Hawks options to add to the center position were limited this offseason, as there was no surefire solution to make the Hawks a bigger and more physical team inside. Instead, the Hawks are hoping that the trio of Landale and rookies Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar will do the job, at least until the trade deadline, where the Hawks could then evaluate their options

Atlanta did not have Landale in the playoffs and while his presence alone would not have shifted that series, as the Hawks had other problems against New York as well, it would have helped. Landale is physical, rebounds well, and can stretch the floor.

If one of the rookies is going to contribute, my bet would be Zuby Ejiofor. Ejiofor was drafted because of his physicality, rim protection, and the ability to play the 4/5 as President of Basketball Operations Onsi Saleh pointed out after the draft:

"I mean, Zuby is, the guy's a beast. If you guys seen him play at St. John's, like, you're talking about a guy that switches one through five, can guard point guards, can guard bigs, can guard big wings. Like, it doesn't really matter. I think with him, it's like the high-level processing he has offensively is just like he makes the right play every single time. He's a really good passer for his size, giant wingspan, could do all that stuff.

The thing that, you know, if he continues to develop the outside shot. I think he shot it pretty decently from the free -throw line. So there's some indicators there that, you know, make sense for him to be a shooter at the next level too. So, like, now it's not what we want him to do all the time either. Like, this guy is somebody that, you know, you see playoff basketball and he's a guy that fits, right? He can, again, switch one through five, guard big wings, you know.

We needed somebody like that and brings a tenacity, runs up and down the court. But I think the biggest thing I could point to is probably just more of the shooting development. But I think that just comes in time."

But similar to Okongwu, Ejiofor is not the biggest frontcourt player and pair that with being a rookie, it is hard to imagine him having a massive impact.

The same goes for Veesaar. His skillsets are being able to shoot the ball from deep and rebound the ball, but defense is going to take a while.

For now, Atlanta is going to hope that Landale stays healthy and that Ejiofor emerges as a potential option to go against the teams that can outmuscle Atlanta in the paint. There is real downside to this strategy though and that is why it is the No. 1 concern still for Atlanta.

Add us as a preferred source on Google