A look at the Hawks’ roster ahead of Wednesday’s season opener vs. Magic
The Hawks had their final dress rehearsal for the season in their exhibition matchup against the Mavericks on Friday.
In that last exhibition game, they took a look at the different lineups they will use throughout the season. It confirmed that to start the year, the Hawks will go with the starting five they used in the second half of last season.
That starting unit ranked in the 90th percentile in efficiency differential, which measures the quality of that lineup, per Cleaning the Glass. The Hawks used a starting unit of CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu across 822 possessions.
“We have continuity in our starting rotation from last season and, as I have said consistently, it is about how we utilize our players the entirety of the game,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Lu Dort will come off the bench for the first time since his rookie season. But he knows how to blend in and find the role that best helps the team.
“We brought Lu here for the many reasons he is able to impact our team and have seen that already,” Snyder said.
Of course, Dort isn’t the only new face on the roster, which includes 15 players on guaranteed contracts and three two-way players. The Hawks have several pieces that they’ll need patience and urgency to build chemistry.
Here’s a look at the Hawks’ roster for the upcoming season, which begins Wednesday night at 7 against the Magic in Orlando.
(Projected starters identified with *)
Guards
Nickeil Alexander-Walker*
2025-26 statistics: 20.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.7 APG, 39.9% 3-pt FG% in 78 games.
Age: 28. Salary: $14.4 million.
A new addition last season, Alexander-Walker became one of the team’s most dependable scorers in the regular season, earning him the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award.
Kingston Flemings
2025-26 statistics: N/A (rookie).
Age: 19. Salary: $7.3 million.
The Hawks drafted Flemings with the eighth overall pick in the NBA draft in June. The rookie had a strong exhibition season and could give the Hawks strong minutes off the bench because of his defensive intensity and mature decision-making.
CJ McCollum*
2025-26 statistics: 18.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 4.1 APG, 35.7% 3-pt FG% in 41 games.
Age: 35. Salary: $21 million.
The veteran guard moved into the starting rotation after the All-Star break in February. Now, with a full offseason behind him, he has had the chance to build even more chemistry with the Hawks’ young core.
Wings
Dyson Daniels*
2025-26 statistics: 11.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 5.9 APG, 51.7% FG% in 76 games.
Age: 23. Salary: $25 million.
Daniels took his game to another level last season with his work on the offensive glass, as well as taking on some of the Hawks’ needs as a ball handler. His hesitancy to shoot the 3 did not go unnoticed, but he showed little sign of that during his exhibition outings.
Lu Dort
2025-26 statistics: (with OKC): 8.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 34.4% 3-pt FG% in 69 games.
Age: 27. 2026-27 Salary: $17.7 million.
Dort’s defense will be one of the Hawks’ biggest difference-makers this season. But they will want to see the veteran wing bounce back from his down year as a shooter last season.
Corey Kispert
2025-26 statistics: 9.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 35.4% 3-pt FG% in 39 games.
Age: 27. Salary: $13.9 million.
The Hawks got a floor spacer in Kispert last season, and the veteran wing has had the offseason to mesh with the team, which could help the consistency of his shooting.
Aaron Wiggins
2025-26 statistics (with OKC): 9.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.2 APG, 35.6% 3-pt FG% in 65 games.
Age: 27. Salary: $9 million.
The Hawks mixed in their key rotational players in and out of lineups during the exhibition season. As a starter, Wiggins needed time to get going, but coming off the bench, he had several moments where the team immediately felt his offensive impact.
Bigs
Zuby Ejiofor
2025-26 statistics: N/A (rookie).
Age: 22. Salary: $3.5 million.
The rookie big has solid defensive instincts that could earn him early-season minutes in the absence of Mouhamed Gueye and behind Asa Newell. He will have to adapt to the NBA whistle and has shown the right adjustments during his exhibition outings.
Dorian Finney-Smith
2025-26 statistics (with HOU): 3.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG in 37 games.
Age: 33. Salary: $14.2 million.
The Hawks acquired Finney-Smith right before training camp opened, so the veteran hasn’t had much time to acclimate to the new team. But with a young team, Finney-Smith will be another solid veteran voice the Hawks will need on the court and in the locker room.
Mouhamed Gueye
2025-26 statistics: 4.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 45.2% FG% in 77 games.
Age: 23. Salary: $2.4 million.
Gueye fractured his foot in the offseason, but the Hawks will reevaluate him around early November, based on the timeline provided in their injury update. The fourth-year forward gives the Hawks defensive flexibility because of his instincts and motor, but they will need him to take the next step offensively.
Jalen Johnson*
2025-26 statistics: 22.5 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 7.9 APG, 35.2% 3-pt FG% in 72 games.
Age: 24. Salary: $30 million.
Coming off a career year last season, the Hawks will want to see Johnson take the next step. Exhibition games against the Pacers and Mavericks showed more refined offensive moves that resulted in efficient nights.
Jock Landale
2025-26 statistics: 9.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 39.1% 3-pt FG% in 23 games with ATL.
Age: 30. Salary: $2.3 million.
During the exhibition season, the veteran center gave the Hawks’ second unit stability because of his constant communication. The Hawks will need that, especially since their rookie guard could run a lot of the actions with the bench.
Asa Newell
2025-26 statistics: 5.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 45.3% 3-pt FG% in 44 games.
Age: 21. Salary: $3.4 million.
The second-year big spent the second half of last season in College Park with the Skyhawks, the team’s G League affiliate. He had some ups and downs during the exhibition season, but he has the tenacious energy the Hawks need.
Onyeka Okongwu*
2025-26 statistics: 15.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 3.1 APG, 37.6% 3-pt FG% in 74 games.
Age: 25. Salary: $16.1 million.
Okongwu became one of the Hawks’ most dependable and efficient scorers last season, and they can count on him to do all of the little things to net extra possessions. A mobile defender in the post, Okongwu gives the Hawks a lot of defensive versatility because he can handle most switches.
Henri Veesaar
2025-26 statistics: N/A (rookie)
Age: 22. Salary: $1.4 million
The rookie center is expected to miss the entirety of his first year in the NBA because of an ACL injury in his right knee.
Two-way contracts
Players on two-way contracts can have impactful minutes in a team’s rotation. But the Hawks, like other NBA teams, can activate players on two-way contracts for a maximum of 50 games. Two-way players are also ineligible for the postseason unless the team converts their deal to a standard contract.
Jalen Wilson
2025-26 statistics (with BKN): 6.4 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 35.5% 3-pt FG% in 54 games.
Age: 25.
The Hawks could have a solid 3-and-D shooter in Wilson, who shot 50% from deep in the exhibition season.
RayJ Dennis
2025-26 statistics: 3.3 PPG, 2.3 APG in 3 games with ATL.
Age: 25.
Dennis showed positive signs as one of the Hawks’ floor generals in his exhibition minutes. He also hit a go-ahead jumper in his exhibition outing against the Pacers on Oct. 10.
Keshon Gilbert
2025-26 statistics: 11 points, 9 assists in one game with ATL.
Age: 23.
Though Gilbert didn’t suit of for many exhibition games because of injury, he provides the Hawks with an aggressive driver who can collapse the paint.