Rank The Hawks Young Core - 2026 Edition

[Jamaaliver]

Who Do you Value most?
What is their long term upside?
Can they all play/grow together or are any of them competing for roles/shots/minutes?

Kingston Flemings - 19 years old
Asa Newell - 20 years old
Zacch Risacher - 21 years old
Zuby Ejiofor - 22 years old
Dyson Daniels - 23 years old
Jonathan Kuminga - 23 years old
Mo Gueye - 23 years old

[Jamaaliver]

I see a bunch of mediocre young players...only KF has a real shot at All Star status IMHO.

I do believe that most of the younger ones can ay least play together.
Flemings - Asa - Zuby - Risacher all fit pretty well from a skill perspective.



I question if Kingston and Dyson can fit well together long term. The shooting is too questionable right now for both to exist on the court simultaneously.

[Jamaaliver]

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

[HMFFL]

Mo Gueye is cheap, coach seems to like him, but I don't see much game from him. I had hope but he doesn't seem to have much if a future. Anybody see anything positive from him?

[HMFFL]

Zacch Risacher

Kingston Flemings (can he make 100 3's at 38%?)

Dyson Daniels (Develop range with his bricklayer hands and he becomes an all-star)


Zuby Ejiofor
Asa Newell
Jonathan Kuminga
Mo Gueye - 23 years old

I don't think Jonathan Kuminga or Mo have longterm futures with the Hawks. I have high hopes for Asa and the rest of the young group mentioned here.

[Jamaaliver]

I'm gonna wait until Summer league is over before I update my personal prospect rankings.

[CP War Hawks]

Mo is lagging behind these guys, hopefully Asa can process better on defense otherwise he's going to fall down a peg. Minny has pf problems, you could probably get 2nd or two for Mo...

[Jamaaliver]

I've been at this too long.

Time is beginning to feel like a flat circle.

[Jamaaliver]

This is the pairing I'm watching the closest.

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

Kingston Flemings’ elite playmaking is a perfect unlock for Zaccharie Risacher.

In his first two NBA seasons, Risacher posted 11.1 PPG on 55.7 TS% with a microscopic 7.0 AST% and 19.4 USG% (dropping to 17.6% in 2025-26). Critically, 96.3% of his field goals were assisted — he’s a pure off-ball mover and corner threat (41.2% career on corner 3s) who has never created for himself at scale.

Enter Flemings (Houston freshman, 2025-26): 16.1 PPG / 5.2 APG / 1.8 TOV (2.89 AST/TO ratio), 32.6 AST%, 47.6 FG% / 38.7 3P%. A high-usage, high-efficiency lead guard who excels at live-dribble creation, transition reads, and finding teammates on the move.

Flemings’ burst + vision in pick-and-rolls and drive-and-kick actions will generate higher-quality catch-and-shoot opportunities for Risacher while the floor spaces naturally from Flemings’ own scoring gravity.

Expect Risacher’s assisted creation volume to rise, his eFG% to climb, and his usage to stabilize in a more dynamic Hawks offense.
Off-ball wing + high-IQ, athletic PG = classic synergistic pairing.

[jayu70]

I've been at this too long.

Time is beginning to feel like a flat circle.

.that's a lot of years and all we have is ECF finals appearance

[Jamaaliver]

Fun Fact:

In 1999, Hawks actually drafted 4 players (3 in the 1st round).
I could not find a single picture of all those draftees together.

Apparently, neither cameras or the internet existed that far back.

I've been at this too long.

Time is beginning to feel like a flat circle.

that's a lot of years and all we have is ECF finals appearance

[graymule]

STARTING LINEUP! Try it just for a few moments. We will not, but we could!

PG- Flemings
SG- Risacher
SF- Newel
PF- Ejofor
C - Landale

All our draft picks for the past two years! Some might be out of ideal position but look at this lineup!

I know. Those "experts" expect our Hawks to be a .500 team next season. Too bad to be great but
too good to be terrible. Not much better or worse than last season.

"Grow your own" is our only hopes of ever being elite. Atlanta can't get those "other" great players.
They always want to go somewhere else to play, then retire to here.

Young core? You bet!!

[Jamaaliver]

I posted in the wrong thread previously...

My rankings of Hawks Under 25 Players:

Tier I (All NBA Upside)
Jalen Johnson


Tier II (Repeat All Star/All Defense)
Dyson Daniels
Maybe Kingston Flemings


Tier III (Above Average Starter)
Henri Veesaar
Kingston Flemings
Zacch Risacher
John Kuminga


Tier IV (Rotation Player)
Asa Newell
Zuby Ejiofor
Devin Carter
Mo Gueye

[Jamaaliver]

Spoiler:

The Atlanta Hawks has missed on or struggled to develop several recent high draft picks (e.g., Zaccharie Risacher, Kobe Bufkin, AJ Griffin, Cam Reddish, DeAndre Hunter, etc)

This underscores the urgency for Newell — a local product with a high-efficiency foundation — to take a meaningful step as a two-way forward who earns consistent rotation minutes and helps the frontcourt stabilize.
With the runway cleared, his low-turnover motor, size, and skill set position him to become a reliable contributor in 2026-27.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Asa Newell’s Path to Becoming a Real Factor for the Atlanta Hawks in 2026-27

Asa Newell (6-9, 2025 #23 pick via NOP) delivered a quietly efficient but heavily role-constrained rookie season in 2025-26. In 44 games (2 starts, 11.4 MPG) behind a crowded Atlanta frontcourt, he averaged 5.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG on 53.8% FG (2.1/3.8), 38.7% 3P (0.7/1.7), 55.2% FT. Advanced metrics showed strong per-minute impact: eFG% 62.4, PER 14.2, WS 1.2, plus positive Box Plus/Minus driven by finishing and rebounding.

Key Strengths from His Rookie Year
-Finishing and rim protection: Elite touch around the basket, second-jump athleticism, high offensive rebounding rates, and lob/putback ability — a compact, lefty Millsap/Reed archetype.

Stretch potential: Promising 38.7% on low-volume threes with solid mechanics (improved from 29% in college), adding spacing value.
Defensive versatility: Switchable 4/5 tools with length, anticipation, and hustle, producing positive on-ball and help impacts per minute.
Efficiency profile: Strong true shooting, low turnovers, and plug-and-play production that stood out among a loaded 2025 rookie class headlined by high-volume players like Cooper Flagg.

Limitations: Limited usage and volume in a deep frontcourt (behind Okongwu, Porzingis, Johnson, etc.), plus room to grow in free-throw consistency and defensive rebounding.

Steps Forward for 2026-27 Impact
Newell’s growth hinges on expanded opportunity and refinement:

Minute ramp: Push toward 20+ MPG through rotation flexibility, injury coverage, or frontcourt shifts. G League dominance would accelerate readiness.
Scoring scalability: Boost 3PT volume to 3-4 attempts per game at 38-42% while adding mid-range polish and transition play for efficient double-digit scoring.
Rebounding and defense: Turn elite ORB% into well-rounded 7-8 RPG totals and sustain switchable disruption at higher volume for two-way value.

The Organization & Fanbase would love to see success from Asa & have the local kid flip the narrative on Atlantas ability to draft/develop.

Read on Twitter

[jayu70]

Watch on YouTube

Hawks at #13.

[jayu70]

Hawks players by Age:

Over 25
CJ - 35
Buddy - 33
Jock - 30
NAW - 28
Dort - 27
Aaron - 27
Corey - 27

25 and Under
OO - 25
JJ - 24
Devin - 24
Dyson - 23
MoG - 23
Nembhard - 23
Zuby - 22
Henri - 22
Asa - 21
Kingston - 19

[Jamaaliver]

I can't even get excited for new, young players anymore.

[Jamaaliver]

We need to build a team around grown ups...

Read on Twitter

[jayu70]

We need to build a team around grown ups...

Read on Twitter

Jock is 30, he'll be 31 in about 6 weeks.

[Jamaaliver]

We need to build a team around grown ups...

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

Jock is 30, he'll be 31 in about 6 weeks.

So when our backup center gets traded mid-season, the average age of the remaining Hawks will plummet to around 22 years old?!?!