Which players on the Hawks roster will be a part of their regular rotation, and what will their roles be?
STARTERS
PG Trae Young
SG Dejounte Murray
SF DeAndre Hunter
PF John Collins
C Clint Capela
BENCH ROTATION
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Justin Holiday
Vit Krejci
Onyeka Okongwu
DEEP BENCH – VETERANS
Trent Forrest
Aaron Holiday
Frank Kaminsky
DEEP BENCH – DEVELOPING YOUTH
Jarrett Culver
AJ Griffin
Jalen Johnson
Tyrese Martin
LIKELY TO BE WAIVED
Armoni Brooks
Tyson Etienne
Chris Silva
POSITION BATTLES
The backcourt is set, with All-Stars Trae Young and Dejounte Murray entrenched in those spots. Starting center Clint Capela, however, might find himself challenged by third-year pro Onyeka Okongwu. Okongwu has been productive in spot duty and has maintained that production as his minutes have increased. Last season he averaged 14p-10r-2a-1s-2b per 36 minutes on 69% shooting. Capela’s been a better rebounder but doesn’t convert as well on the offensive end and isn’t quite the defensive presence that Okongwu is. Capela’s production also may be declining; after leading the league in rebounding in 2020-21 with 14.3 per game, he only grabbed 11.9 per game last year while his scoring average also dropped from 15.2 to 11.1 per game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
The team’s last two first round picks are both swingmen from Duke, Jalen Johnson and AJ Griffin, who are talented but very young. Johnson is very raw while Griffin has lost time during his developmental stages due to injury. The team isn’t expecting much from either player this season, so it would be a pleasant surprise if one of them could crack the rotation and play meaningful minutes. The opportunity may be there because after the departures of Cam Reddish, Danilo Gallinari, and Kevin Huerter, there’s not much depth at the wings besides Bogdan Bogdanovic; also, starter DeAndre Hunter has had a history of nagging injuries so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he misses some time.
The other player who could take advantage of some open minutes at the wing is Jarrett Culver. Culver, who just 3 years ago was a highly regarded prospect drafted 6th overall, is now on his 3rd team in 4 years. He’s struggled to get playing time, mostly due to the abysmal rate at which he’s converted shots both from the field and the free throw line. But Culver still is a defensive presence and has been a late bloomer at every stage; with regular minutes in the right environment, he still could flourish.