The Most Important Reserve On The Atlanta Hawks Next Season

Atlanta set out to improve its depth this offseason, but which reserve is going to be most important for the team's success?

Mar 16, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Jock Landale (31) on the court before the game against the Orlando Magic at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The goal for the Atlanta Hawks this offseason was to acquire younger talent in the NBA Draft and to add depth to their team. The starting unit for the Hawks down the stretch of the season was very good, but the depth was a massive hindrance, especially in the playoffs against the New York Knicks.

Fast forward a few months, and the Hawks got younger by drafting Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor, and Henri Veesaar, while trading for Aaron Wiggins, Luguentz Dort, and Devin Carter, as well as re-signing Jock Landale to help shore up their depth.

With their starting lineup almost certianly going to remain the same (CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu), which of the Hawks projected reserves is going to be most important this season?

Why Jock Landale is going to be so important

Mar 28, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Jock Landale (31) shoots the ball against Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I do want to say that I think both Dort and Wiggins are going to be better players than Landale and put up better stats, but I think that Landale is going to hold more importance to the Hawks and you don't have to look back very far to see what I am talking about.

Atlanta entered the season with the hopes that Okongwu and Kristaps Porzingis would be one of the top center duos in the NBA and they would be able to work well off each other. However, Porzingis was not able to stay healthy and was later traded to the Golden State Warriors. The Hawks would send cash Considerations to the Utah Jazz for Landale, as they were desperate to have anyone behind Okongwu and they would not have to play Mouhamed Gueye (who they don't consider a center) or Christian Koloko, who was on a two-way contract.

Landale was pretty good for the Hawks. He was able to stretch the floor, rebounded well, and played with a needed physicality. However, he was injured in a dirty play by Orlando center Goga Bitadze and ended up missing the rest of the regular season. Hawks head coach Quin Snyder was forced to play Gueye and Tony Bradley (who was signed towards the end of the season) at center against the Knicks in the playoffs and that pair going against the duo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson is about as big of a mismatch as you are going to find in the NBA.

Heading into the offseason, the Hawks had to add a center. Landale was a free agent and it was clear that while Okongwu was a very good player, he had shortcomings and needed to be paired with another center.

The problem was, there were not many top flight options around the league, at least realistically. Atlanta eventually decided to bring Landale, which was fine given how he played towards the end of the year.

But if he gets injured again for any length of time, the Hawks are going to find themselves in the same pickle once again.

The only other true center on the roster right now is Henri Veesaar, who the Hawks selected with the No. 52 overall pick in the draft. Veesaar was a borderline first-round talent and was a steal at that pick, but is he ready to assume backup center duties if the situation arises?

The Hawks still have Gueye (who is currently injured) and second-year forward Asa Newell, but Atlanta does not view either of them as real centers. They just drafted Zuby Ejiofor with the No. 23 pick, but he is on the smaller side and is a rookie. Would be trusted with backup center minutes in the event of an injury to either Landale or Okongwu?

Another important aspect to this is that Landale's shooting is a huge plus in the Hawks offensive system. Okongwu has seen a huge spike in three-point percentage and Landale brings that same skillset when on the floor. Gueye is a shaky shooter, Ejiofor was not a good shooter in college, and Newell has been good, but in a very small sample. Veesaar is a stretch big, but again, he has other defeciencies that might keep him off the court.

To put it one way, the Hawks need Landale to stay healthy this season and be the player that he was for the team after the trade deadline. This is the first time he is going to be counted on to be the backup center of a team with playoff aspirations and he is being paid like it. Will he continue that same level of play or could there be a dropoff?

Atlanta better hope the answer is the former.