Will the Atlanta Hawks' Biggest Roster Issue Be Too Much For Them to Overcome?

While the Atlanta Hawks had a relatively surprising end to last season, there is still a glaring problem that they've somewhat addressed. That same issue would eventually come back to bite them as they struggled to win their playoff series against the New York Knicks as a result, despite being New York's toughest opponent.

However, the Hawks continued into the offseason trying to fix this issue and now find themselves in a difficult spot, but it remains to be seen how this will play out. As they enter the regular season, it will be interesting to see how they decide to fix this issue, if it becomes an issue again throughout the season.

Let's take a look at what the Hawks are missing and how they could fix it.

What do the Hawks need and how can they fix this issue?

Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts after being fouled by Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) during the second quarter of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For Atlanta, they are missing a true center who can define the franchise for the next decade, and after this past season, I think we've come to the realization that Okongwu is not the answer. What I mean by that is Okongwu wouldn't be the definitive answer at the starting center position due to his lack of size to deal with true centers.

Throughout the playoff series, Karl-Anthony Towns dominated Okongwu on the glass and inside the paint, which led to the Hawks' struggle to win the series when New York decided to slow the game down. While Okongwu held his own offensively, he struggled to stop Towns, who averaged 18.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and six assists on 50/40/90% shooting splits.

Throughout the season, Atlanta struggled to find a true center as Kristaps Porzingis battled sickness and got traded. This resulted in the Hawks signing and trading for both Jock Landale and Tony Bradley, who played as true centers last season, but both wouldn't be franchise defining.

Last season, the Hawks consistently gave up over 50 points in the paint and allowed 14 second-chance points per game. This ranked them near the bottom half of the NBA in terms of paint defense, and they had another chance to do it in the NBA Draft this year, as they selected both Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar, who are both young centers who will need time to develop.

In terms of what the Hawks could do right now to solve this issue, is either make a trade for another center or they will likely wait on the development of their young guys. While things don't seem to be franchise-defining at the center position, there is still a chance that one of the three centers on this roster could be the answer.

One thing to watch for is the potential contract extension Okongwu is eligible to receive on October 1st, as that would show he is the likely answer for Atlanta moving forward.

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