The Hawks open the regular season in a few days, but NBA rosters become official Monday.
The Hawks solidified their roster last week upon their return from their exhibition series against the Bucks in Abu Dhabi. The Hawks waived all four of the players they signed to training camp deals, leaving 14 players on guaranteed contracts and two two-way signings on the roster.
So, fans got a chance to see what the Hawks’ rotation could look like in the final two exhibition games Wednesday and Friday.
The Hawks still have some kinks to work out as they build chemistry not only among Trae Young and Dejounte Murray but also the rest of the roster. There will be times when the team staggers the two guards, and players will have to adjust to them running those units.
“It’s more important that we balance our second unit,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said Sunday. “You know, we have a very young unit. If we come off the bench with five guys. And what I want to try to do is get some of our starters with our second unit to give us some experience with that group, and that that’s going to mean splitting up our guards and giving them opportunities to play. "
Players will need to readjust when Bogdan Bogdanovic returns to the lineup as well. Bogdanovic missed all four exhibition games as he recovers from knee surgery and has not participated fully in practices.
After Sunday’s practice, Bogdanovic did some shooting work with Kyle Korver, the director of player affairs and development. McMillan said after practice that Bogdanovic has been doing better but he would be unavailable for the team’s opener Wednesday against the Rockets.
So, the Hawks will continue to get through the early-season adjustment period as they look to get started on the right foot.
“Well, just chemistry, we’re gonna have to build that,” McMillan said. “And that’s going to come through us playing games. It’s not going to come right away; we still have a new, somewhat of a new starting lineup with Dejounte being in that lineup.
“So that chemistry with him and the rest of our guys we’re going to have to continue to work on, because we’re now going to see the best. You know, where in preseason, you’re seeing a lot of guys who are getting minutes. Now we’re going to see, you know, our opponents, the best. So execution, all of that timing on both ends of the floor offensively and defensively we’ll be able to work on, and so that’s where we are.”
Here’s a look at what the Hawks’ rotation could look like throughout the season:
Starters
PG: Dejounte Murray
SG: Trae Young
SF: De’Andre Hunter
PF: John Collins
C: Clint Capela
The Hawks’ starting unit got off to a solid start in the first exhibition game against the Bucks. Murray and Young each dropped more than 20 points.
Off the bench: Once Bogdanovic returns to full strength, the 30-year-old will likely be the first player off the bench. The Serbian sharpshooter will likely give Murray a rest, and Young will play for the entire first quarter.
Bogdanovic will provide the Hawks with another shooter alongside Young, Hunter and Collins. He’ll also help keep up the intensity on defense, with Murray on the bench.
For now, though, Justin Holiday may come off the bench first and sub in for either Hunter or Collins. He can slide between the three and the four and would provide the Hawks with another player who can help them get stops on defense. He can also give Young another target from long range.
Second unit
Murray
Aaron Holiday/Bogdanovic
Justin Holiday
Jalen Johnson
Onyeka Okongwu/Frank Kaminsky
While there is the expectation that Murray and Young will play big minutes together, the two guards will also have the opportunity to lead things individually.
Murray will likely start things off in the second quarter and lead the second unit when Young goes to the bench for rest.
When asked about it Sunday, McMillan did not commit to how far into his bench he will go. But depending on the matchup, the Hawks will likely go deep into their bench.
“We can go as deep as we need to,” McMillan said. “Normally, you get comfortable with a nine-, maybe a 10-man rotation, (but) really tough to play 10 guys, but you know, we feel we have guys, we have depth on our bench, and we’ll go as deep as we need to.”
Guards
Trae Young (11)
Dejounte Murray (5)
Bogdan Bogdanovic (13)
Aaron Holiday (3)
AJ Griffin (14)
Tyrese Martin (22)
Jarrett Culver* (7)
Trent Forrest* (2)
Forwards
John Collins (20)
De’Andre Hunter (12)
Jalen Johnson (1)
Justin Holiday (8)
Vit Krejci (27)
Centers
Clint Capela (15)
Onyeka Okongwu (17)
Frank Kaminsky (0)
* Denotes player on a two-way contract
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