Who Will Be the Atlanta Hawks Scoring Leader This Season?

In the last few seasons, the Atlanta Hawks have placed a major emphasis on finding players that could defend. However, they have also found ways to retain some good offensive talent to give the team a much-needed push throughout many clutch moments this past season.

Last season, Atlanta ranked inside the top 10 of the NBA for scoring in the clutch, with an average of 9.9 points scored in the last five minutes of a game within five points. This happened in a total of 35 games over the course of 127 minutes, with the leaders in clutch points scored tied between Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who were part of 123 of those minutes.

However, the Hawks ranked 14th in overall offense, with the top two scoring leaders being Johnson, with a career-high 22.5 points per game, and Alexander-Walker, with 20.8 points per game. The crazy part is that both had career seasons: Johnson made the NBA All-Star team and All-NBA, while Alexander-Walker won Most Improved Player with an 11-point jump.

Things did get a little shaky come playoff time as both guys' scoring dipped, and saw veteran CJ McCollum tied in points per game with Johnson at 19 to lead the team.

But with these two making the jumps in their game that they did, who will lead the Hawks in scoring?

Who will be the Hawks scoring leader?

Feb 5, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) celebrates with forward Jalen Johnson (1) and center Jock Landale (31) and guard Dyson Daniels (5) after a go-ahead basket against the Utah Jazz in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Coming into this new season, the Hawks have decided that it would be best to continue building on the momentum of last season's retooling instead of making a splash move to contend. With a decision like that, it would be hard to see a situation where much would change in terms of how the team will play.

With the lack of movement made to the roster, it is likely that Alexander-Walker and Johnson will be at it again for the scoring leaders. Per Basketball-Reference, they have Johnson edging out Alexander-Walker in points per game with 21.8 to 19.2, which is a bit off from where I would have the two averaging.

For me, I would have Johnson leading the way, averaging 23 points per game, and Alexander-Walker scoring 21 per game. Since the roster is the same, it gives both players the opportunity to build on the scoring they had last season, as well as some of their teammates, with one to watch being Onyeka Okongwu.

I say Okongwu could also be in the running because he was third in points per game for Atlanta and has improved his scoring output every season. Last season, Okongwu averaged 15.2 points and is projected to average 17.4, which is a solid jump to nearly 20 a night.

While these are hypothetical scenarios, it is still a good chance for these guys to make a solid contribution and take things to the next level. However, the Hawks will be one of many young teams that have an exciting young core that can make things very interesting in a tough Eastern Conference this season.

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