1 Hawks player in danger of losing starting job in 2024-25 training camp

09/20/2024 11:49 AM

The Atlanta Hawks may be better than expected heading into the 2024-25 season. The first step to improvement is being aware of the issue, and this offseason, they finally recognized that the pairing of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray had run its course. For Young to succeed, he needs defensively-oriented players who can make their open shots, and the Hawks appear to have better-fitting players around him for next year, which could lead to more success than expected.

This offseason cannot be counted as anything other than a successful one for the Hawks. They have pivoted to a bit of youth movement, with Dyson Daniels looking likely to start alongside Young in the backcourt, and they will also have the services of the first overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, Zaccharie Risacher.

The Hawks are building something more sustainable, and they will be a major source of an entertaining brand of hoops with Young and Jalen Johnson being the team’s two best players. They are the only ones safe in the Hawks starting lineup, as they are the two franchise cornerstones the team is looking to build around for the foreseeable future.

But other than Young and Johnson, the three other starting spots seem to be up for grabs. The upcoming training camp will determine which Hawks player will earn the good graces of head coach Quin Snyder. But with that said, there is one players whose starting spot is in obvious danger.

Analyzing the Hawks’ potential 2024-25 starting lineup

As mentioned above, Trae Young and Jalen Johnson’s spots in the Hawks’ starting lineup is safe. As long as those two are healthy, they should be penciled into the starting lineup. Young could be a 30-10 machine next season now that he’s back to being the heliocentric source of the team’s offense, while Johnson emerged as a do-it-all highflying forward who could threaten to average 20-10 next season.

The other three spots should be determined in training camp. But the early favorite to start alongside Young in the backcourt is Dyson Daniels. Daniels was the centerpiece of the Dejounte Murray trade, and unlike Murray, Daniels is actually a legitimate lockdown defender who has the size (6’8″) to defend the opposing team’s best player on a nightly basis. He also doesn’t command a ton of touches, freeing up plenty of opportunity for Young to commandeer the offense.

This then leaves the small forward and center starting spots open. The Hawks’ center position battle has been tricky to navigate over the past few seasons. Onyeka Okongwu has looked increasingly more ready to take over the role from Clint Capela, but Capela continues to start whenever he’s healthy.

Capela, however, has been averaging fewer and fewer minutes over the past three seasons. Okongwu’s minutes have been on the rise. Last year, he almost averaged the same number of minutes as Capela did (25.5 for Okongwu, 25.8 for Capela). Is this the year that Capela finally loses his grip on the starting job?

But it’s not as if Capela is geriatric; he’s only 30 years of age, and he continues to have plenty of synergy alongside the lob-happy Trae Young. Capela’s veteran presence might give him the starting nod coming out of training camp, but don’t be surprised if Okongwu takes over in the middle of the season. After all, Capela is in the final year of his contract.

This leaves De’Andre Hunter as the most likely player to lose his starting job, thanks to the presence of someone the Hawks view as a crucial part of their future.

Zaccharie Risacher says that the future is now

Rarely has a first overall pick been relegated to the bench in their rookie season. The 2024 NBA Draft class may provide a different story given how many talent evaluators believe this to be one of the worst draft classes in history, but the Hawks should be giving Zaccharie Risacher as many opportunities as possible to learn the ins and outs of NBA basketball.

By prioritizing Risacher’s development, De’Andre Hunter may have no choice but to take a backseat. Hunter would have been in line to start the majority of games at the three had it not been for Risacher’s presence, but developing the first overall pick to his full potential takes precedent.

Hunter started just 37 of the 58 games he played last season, so it’s not as if he doesn’t have experience coming off the bench. His progression as a player has stalled, and no team appears to be willing to trade for him and his huge contract. As far as the long-term future of the Hawks franchise is concerned, benching Hunter in favor of Risacher should be an easy decision.

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