Three Things We Learned In The Atlanta Hawks Preseason Win Over Oklahoma City

The 2026 preseason is nearly over for the Atlanta Hawks, and they might be able to end it on a winning streak. Atlanta was able to win their third straight game on Monday night when they took down the Oklahoma City Thunder, and now there is just one game left in the preseason before Atlanta heads off to Orlando to begin their season next Wednesday.

When you have two teams that are not playing most of their rotation, it can be tough to discern anything from what happens. Here is what we learned from last night's win.

1. Backup power forward position is likely going to Mouhamed Gueye

Gueye has not been able to play during the preseason because of a foot injury that he sustained this summer, but he was going to be the favorite to be the top backup power forward in the rotation.

Despite not being able to participate in training camp or the preseason, I think that is going to be the case anyway because neither Asa Newell nor Zuby Ejiofor was able to put together consistent enough performances to unseat him.

Ejiofor has mostly worked as the third center during the preseason, but Newell has not taken a big enough step to where he is guaranteed a spot in the rotation every night. He got the start on Monday, but he finished 3-14 from the field and 1-9 from three. Combine that with his lack of defensive performances, it has been an uneven preseason and that has left the door open for Gueye to resume his spot.

2. Kobe Johnson is going to have a great year in the G-League

Johnson has not gotten to play a lot during the preseason, but he was able to get on the court last night for just a shade under 10 minutes and he made the most of those minutes.

Johnson finished the night with 10 points, three rebounds, and two steals. He had a clutch offensive rebound and steal in the final minutes of the Hawks' win, and when you go back and look at how impactful he was during Summer League, Johnson has made significant strides as a player while he is unlikely to see any time with the Hawks this season, I think a huge G League season is on the way for him.

3. I don't think Dorian Finney-Smith is going to have a large role on this team

To be fair, Finney Smith was only acquired a few weeks ago from the Charlotte Hornets, but if you look at his preseason minutes and roles on the Hawks, it does not seem like he is going to be a major factor for Atlanta.

On a night in which the Hawks sat almost the entire top of their rotation, Finney-Smith only managed to see over 17 minutes and scored eight points, including a pair of three-pointers.

This was the only game this preseason that he played over 10 minutes and while he might just need more time to get acclimated to the team, I think that either Mouhamed Gueye, Asa Newell, and Zuby Ejiofor are going to be playing ahead of him unless something changes.

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