Three Biggest X-Factors For The Atlanta Hawks Next Season

These three players could elevate Atlanta's ceiling to new heights - or severely depress it just one year after making a postseason run.

Oct 25, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) is defended by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Finishing as a 46-win team, making the playoffs and pushing the eventual NBA champions to six games is a sign that the Atlanta Hawks are headed in the right direction. However, to elevate their ceiling, they'll need to rely on internal development.

Atlanta didn't make any aggressive moves this offseason and focused on building up roster depth. That approach will only work if that depth shows clear progression or returns to being effective. As such, this season is very hard to project for the Hawks. They don't have a ton of star talent on the roster - everything revolves around Jalen Johnson. Therefore, strong seasons from the talent around him could make this a 50-win team. A weak performance from the supporting cast likely leaves them struggling to hit 40 wins in an extremely competitive East.

Outside of Johnson himself, there are three players on Atlanta's roster whose seasons will be critical in the Hawks' performance this season. While Johnson taking the leap from a top-20 player to a top-10 player would also significantly change Atlanta's ceiling, that's hard to project with any sort of confidence. It certainly could happen, but it's much more realistic to talk about the other players on Atlanta's roster elevating their game.

Here are three possible candidates.

Luguentz Dort

Jan 3, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) reacts to the official after a play against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Dort is a fascinating add for the Hawks this season because his performance over the last two seasons has been so polarizing. He was a critical rotation player for OKC throughout their championship run, put up big performances in the Finals and generally played solid defense on the toughest opponents. Last season, he was one of the worst players that they gave significant minutes to. His 3PT% plummeted from 41.2% on 5.8 attempts a game to 34.4% on 5.4 attempts and OKC's defense was actually better with him off the floor (109.5 defensive rating on, 103.6 defensive rating off).

He dealt with more injuries during last season, so it's possible they were affecting his performance. Even so, it remains to be seen how Dort will perform without OKC's bevy of shooting talent and excellent defensive supporting cast. Dyson Daniels is a great defender and Onyeka Okongwu has his moments, but they don't have Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and Chet Holmgren to help Dort out.

If Dort does prove that he can carry over the shooting performances he had in the two seasons where he shot above 39% in OKC and continues being a effective perimeter defender, it's potentially massive for Atlanta's ability to field a competitive defense. They'd be able to match up with anyone on the perimeter without sacrificing the floor spacing. Dyson and Dort both performed like limited shooters last season, so the Hawks can't play them together for a significant amount of minutes without struggling to score. Dort has some history of being a good shooter - returning to that form might fix a defense that ranked last in opponent FG% during the 2026 postseason.

Dyson Daniels

Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado (5) is defended by Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the first 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

Dyson Daniels earned a $100 million dollar contract on the premise that he'd be able to shoot at an average level to complement his incredible defensive and playmaking gifts. That did not happen in his first season after getting paid. Shooting 18.8% from deep on 1.5 attempts means that teams could effectively ignore Dyson on the perimeter and it hamstrung Atlanta's offense last season.

Hitting around 34-35% of his threes would be a welcome change for Daniels and provide Atlanta's offense with a bit of extra juice. However, I'm intrigued by further development from Dyson in the playmaking department. He's already one of the best guard rebounders in the NBA (98th percentile or better in both OREBs and DREBs per game) and averaged a career-high 5.9 assists per game last season. Even so, there's room for improvement for Dyson to find easy rim assists. He only had 3 rim assists per game last season, which ranked in the 47th percentile last season. I think the Hawks would benefit from running more plays where Dyson initiates the offense - he was only on the ball for 21.3% of his minutes on the court last season (10th percentile among point guards).

Zuby Ejiofor

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; St. John's Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) reacts after a dunk against the Duke Blue Devils in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Kingston Flemings was the higher pick, I think Ejiofor's rebounding and strong defense coupled with his experience make him a more immediately impactful player for Atlanta. There are very few proven frontcourt options in Atlanta behind Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu. Jock Landale had some fun flashes and Asa Newell's sophomore season got off to a decent start in Summer League, but Ejiofor arguably has more potential than both of them.

He finished his last season at St. John's with an OREB% of 12.1%, which was in the 80th percentile among bigs. Ejiofor did a great job of protecting the rim with his 7'2 wingspan, forcing 2.1 blocks per game and even showing the mobility to hang with quicker assignments on the perimeter. He's got some touch as a shooter also - he's shot above 42% from the midrange for two straight seasons and shot 46% from midrange in his junior season while hitting 71.8% of his free throws on decent volume. Even though Atlanta probably won't run a lot of offense through him, he does have some passing chops and posted an impressive AST% of 23% in his senior season. He was probably the best playmaker on St. John's roster as a big man.

Ejiofor's strength, age and size coupled with his skills should make him a viable backup for either Johnson or Okongwu rather quickly. His role will likely be condensed in the NBA, which should allow his offensive rebounding, shot blocking and passing to shine as he takes advantage of the open shots he does get. Having a legitimately exciting prospect to step into minutes when Johnson sits or has to miss games could give Atlanta a lift throughout the rough parts of their season.