{"id":163524,"date":"2025-10-21T06:30:38","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T10:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=163524"},"modified":"2025-10-21T01:21:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T05:21:26","slug":"hawks-rotation-questions-ahead-of-opening-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/10\/21\/hawks-rotation-questions-ahead-of-opening-night\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawks Rotation Questions Ahead of Opening Night"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>NBA opening week is here and the Atlanta Hawks <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/08\/14\/taking-a-closer-look-at-the-hawks-2025-26-nba-schedule\/\" target=\"_self\">begin their quest<\/a> back to contention on Oct. 22 against the Toronto Raptors at State Farm Arena.<\/p>\n<p>The 2025-26 preseason <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/10\/18\/atlanta-hawks-preseason-takeaways\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">gave insight into<\/a> how Hawks head coach Quin Snyder planned to deploy his rotation. The starting lineup is set. <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/o\/okongon01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Onyeka Okongwu<\/a>, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/alexani01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nickeil Alexander-Walker<\/a>, and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kennalu01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luke Kennard<\/a> are in line to play major roles off the bench. However, questions remain outside of the top eight guys. Will Snyder play a tight, eight-man rotation for 82 games?<\/p>\n<h2>Hawks Rotation Questions Ahead Of Opening Night<\/h2>\n<h3>Keaton Wallace Gets Contract Converted<\/h3>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wallake01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Keaton Wallace<\/a> appeared out of nowhere to impress the Hawks in last year&#8217;s Summer League. Atlanta rewarded the guard with a two-way contract, and he appeared in 31 games last season, averaging 5.4 points and 2.6 assists in 16.2 minutes per contest. The Hawks re-signed Wallace this summer on the same contract before <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/10\/19\/best-moves-nba-2025-26-waiver-deadline-weekend\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">converting him to a standard NBA deal<\/a> on Oct. 18. In a corresponding move, Atlanta converted <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/houstca01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Caleb Houstan<\/a>&#8216;s non-guaranteed contract to fill the open two-way slot.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We have converted the contract of guard Keaton Wallace from a two-way to a standard NBA contract.<\/p>\n<p>Congrats, <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KeatonWallace22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@KeatonWallace22<\/a>! <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WHFP61m2dJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/WHFP61m2dJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ATLHawks\/status\/1979693326686396807?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 18, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A 6-foot-3 guard, Wallace plays hard and gives great effort every time he takes the floor. His biggest strength comes on the defensive side of the ball, as he hounds ball-handlers with physical, point-of-attack defense. Indeed, he collected 28 steals in the 31 games he played last season.<\/p>\n<p>On the flip side, Wallace&#8217;s offensive game is limited, especially when factoring in his role as a lead guard. He often misses passing reads in transition or when operating as the ball handler in pick-and-roll.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">pop quiz, where did Keaton Wallace throw this pass? <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yZkkyeVyzJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/yZkkyeVyzJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Hawks Film Room (@atlhawksfilm) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/atlhawksfilm\/status\/1977190014305157453?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>For example, in the play above, Wallace gave the ball to Kennard up top to reset the possession and missed a cutting <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/johnsja05.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Johnson<\/a> for an easy dunk. He also shot 32.9% on 2.6 3-pointers attempted per game.<\/p>\n<p>The Hawks played Wallace with the key contributors in two preseason contests before converting his contract. With Atlanta lacking a designated backup point guard, could Wallace be in store for a small, consistent role? It is certainly worth keeping an eye on.<\/p>\n<h3>Frontcourt Questions Arise With 8-Man Rotation<\/h3>\n<p>Johnson, Okongwu, and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/porzikr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is<\/a> form one of, if not, the best frontcourt trios in the league. Not many teams have the skillsets all three players bring to the table combined. Throughout the preseason, Snyder was comfortable playing any combination of these three players.<\/p>\n<p>Surprisingly, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gueyemo02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mo Gueye<\/a> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/krejcvi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">V\u00edt Krej\u010d\u00ed<\/a>, who looked to be slotted in as the ninth and tenth guys, played little to no minutes with the key contributors. With that being said, if Snyder plans on giving all 96 frontcourt minutes to Johnson, Porzi\u0146\u0123is, and Okongwu, he&#8217;s playing a dangerous game.<\/p>\n<p>Porzi\u0146\u0123is has only reached the 60-game mark three times in his nine-year career. Two of those came in his freshman and sophomore campaigns. Keeping this in perspective, the star center has suffered consistent lower-body injuries throughout his NBA tenure, limiting his durability. Yet, the Hawks need Porzi\u0146\u0123is healthy if they are to make a deep playoff run. If Gueye doesn&#8217;t play regularly, even a small role, the Latvian center could be in store for a risky 30-minute-per-game role.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#39;25-&#39;26 Atlanta Hawks&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>This is a strong roster. Every single player mold you could possibly want around Trae Young. Lots of young talent. Solid vets. Massive year\/pressure for Trae specifically, but high upside in a relatively horrid East. What&#39;s your take on the Hawks? <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Q9qGHt8gKr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/Q9qGHt8gKr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NBA University (@NBA_University) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBA_University\/status\/1973488297776464220?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In the same vein, Johnson has suffered two freak injuries over the last couple of seasons. In 2023-24, he fractured his wrist and was out for a month. The next season, Johnson sustained a season-ending injury, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/29\/hawks-jalen-johnson-out-for-season\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">this time a torn labrum<\/a>. While not as concerning as Porzi\u0146\u0123is&#8217; setbacks, he&#8217;s yet to hit the 65-game mark in his young career. If he can avoid any unlucky injuries, the 23-year-old forward is poised to take another lead this season.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 Petre Thomas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NBA opening week is here and the Atlanta Hawks begin their quest back to contention on Oct. 22 against the Toronto Raptors at State Farm Arena. The 2025-26 preseason gave insight into how Hawks head coach Quin Snyder planned to deploy his rotation. The starting lineup is set. Onyeka Okongwu, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5516,"featured_media":163610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1608,62,1248,3],"tags":[3853,49785,138],"class_list":["post-163524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hawks","category-basketball","category-nba","category-nba-season-previews","category-news","tag-jalen-johnson","tag-keaton-wallace","tag-kristaps-porzingis"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5516"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163524"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":163612,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163524\/revisions\/163612"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}