Hawks second-unit creation became impossible to ignore once New York forced every possession into the half court.
The Knicks switched actions, crowded driving lanes, and waited for Atlanta’s first idea to disappear. Too often, the next one never arrived. The ball moved around the perimeter, but nobody bent the defense or created a clean second read.
Atlanta’s roster has changed quickly since then. The Hawks traded Trae Young for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert in January, then added Ryan Nembhard, Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Devin Carter, and No. 8 pick Kingston Flemings during the offseason.
Those moves created real depth. They did not establish control.
Before camp ends, Quin Snyder must decide who begins the possession, who attacks once the defense shifts, and who finishes the advantage. Without that hierarchy, Atlanta’s crowded backcourt could become a collection of useful skills that never quite fit together.
Atlanta moved the ball without always moving the defense
The Hawks produced attractive regular-season numbers.
Atlanta averaged 118.5 points and an NBA-leading 30.1 assists, finished 46-36, and earned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Johnson pushed after rebounds. McCollum created from pick-and-roll. Dyson Daniels turned defensive pressure into transition chances.
Yet the offense ranked only 14th in efficiency.
That gap reveals the problem. A team can complete several passes without forcing the defense to make a difficult choice. Perimeter movement looks productive until the shot clock reaches eight and every defender remains in position.
Atlanta’s best lineup captured both sides of the season.
McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Daniels, Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu outscored opponents by 20.3 points per 100 possessions across 391 regular-season minutes. During the playoffs, that same group lost its minutes by 14.4 points per 100.
Playoff defenses removed the easy pace and challenged Atlanta to create after the first action failed.
That is where the next Hawks team must improve.
The second unit does not need another star impersonating Young. It needs a sequence. One player organizes. Another attacks the opening. Shooters hold their spacing. The screener creates contact and keeps the play alive.
Clear responsibilities will matter more than raw depth.
Ryan Nembhard should organize the first bench shift
Nembhard offers the cleanest immediate solution.
His rookie scoring numbers in Dallas were modest. The passing was not. Nembhard averaged 5.3 assists in limited minutes and finished the season with a 23-assist game, showing the patience and anticipation Atlanta needs from its backup point guard.
He sees openings early.
Many young guards wait until the help defender fully commits before releasing the pass. Nembhard often recognizes the rotation as it begins. That fraction of a second can turn a difficult catch into an open shot.
Atlanta should keep his first assignment simple.
Push after misses. Call an early drag screen. Reach the paint before the defense loads up. Find the roller, the corner shooter, or the teammate lifting behind the play.
Nembhard does not need to dominate the dribble. He needs to give every possession a direction.
His size will invite pressure. Bigger guards will post him, hunt him through screens, and force Atlanta to provide help. Snyder can protect him by pairing him with Dort, Daniels, Alexander-Walker, or Johnson.
Camp must determine whether Nembhard’s organization outweighs the defensive targeting.
A scattered preseason audition will reveal little. Give him a stable screening partner and two credible shooters. Let him run the same actions several times. Force opponents to adjust, then watch whether he finds the correct counter.
That approach would also follow a familiar Snyder principle.
During Snyder’s Utah tenure, Mike Conley supplied structure, Donovan Mitchell carried star-level creation, and Jordan Clarkson entered as an aggressive bench scorer. Clarkson did not need to organize every possession. He attacked within a defined role and won the 2021 Sixth Man of the Year award.
Atlanta can build a similar division of labor. Nembhard controls the shape of the possession. Flemings supplies the burst.
Nembhard’s control can unlock Flemings’s aggression
Nembhard and Flemings should not enter camp as rivals competing for one job.
They can solve different parts of the same possession.
Nembhard’s best skill involves imposing order. Flemings brings more size, acceleration, and scoring upside. Placing those strengths in sequence could give Atlanta the balance its reserve offense lacked.
The possession begins with Nembhard.
He calls the set, uses the first screen, and forces the defense to lean toward the ball. Once the low defender steps inward or the weak-side wing tags the roller, Atlanta swings the pass toward Flemings.
Now the rookie attacks.
That timing changes everything. Flemings receives the ball against a defense already moving rather than five defenders staring at him from set positions.
One hard closeout can open the lane. A rotating center might expose a lob, a drop-off pass, or a kickout to the opposite corner. If the first gap closes, Flemings can flow into another pick-and-roll before the defense resets.
Nembhard creates the crack. Flemings drives through it.
The partnership offers a cleaner developmental plan than handing the rookie every possession and hoping his talent covers his inexperience.
Kingston Flemings needs pressure without overload
Flemings gave Atlanta plenty to consider during Summer League.
The eighth overall pick opened with 14 points, nine assists, four steals, and one turnover against Utah. He later recorded eight assists in a comfortable win over San Antonio. Across four games, Flemings produced 27 assists against nine turnovers.
Those numbers confirmed his playmaking feel.
They did not prove he can immediately run an NBA bench.
Veteran defenders will crowd his handle, slide under screens, and close passing windows that remained open in July. Stronger guards will test whether he can hold his line without drifting away from the rim.
Atlanta should challenge Flemings without handing him every organizational burden.
Let him run pick-and-roll after the defense has already shifted. Use him beside Johnson, whose gravity can pull attention away from the ball. Ask Flemings to cut when Nembhard controls the top, then flow into a handoff once his defender loses sight of him.
Those actions still demand real decisions.
Flemings must read the low man, understand the spacing behind the play, and choose whether to finish or pass. The difference comes from beginning with an advantage instead of creating one alone.
His scoring burst then becomes part of the system, not an escape from it.
Over time, Flemings may take command of the entire unit. Camp should reveal how much he can handle now without slowing the growth Atlanta needs later.
Johnson must anchor the minutes most likely to break
The Hawks already employ their best reserve creator.
Johnson averaged 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 7.9 assists last season, establishing himself as Atlanta’s central offensive force. He can initiate from the top, lead the break, post smaller defenders, and create from the short roll.
Snyder should build his substitution pattern around that versatility.
Pull Johnson midway through the first quarter. Bring him back before McCollum leaves. That stagger would place him beside Nembhard and Flemings during the first bench-heavy stretch.
His presence changes every assignment.
Nembhard no longer needs to create the final shot. Flemings can attack after Johnson draws help. A reserve wing can concentrate on spacing and cutting instead of manufacturing offense late in the clock.
Johnson also gives Atlanta an answer when opponents pressure its smaller guards.
Nembhard can screen for him in an inverted pick-and-roll. A switch leaves Johnson attacking a smaller defender. Hard help can free Nembhard on the slip or create an open shooter across the floor.
Okongwu offers another useful partner. His screening and short-roll passing can keep the possession alive after Johnson gives up the ball.
The Hawks should not overload Johnson across 82 games. They should place his minutes where they carry the most value.
Resting every creator together would recreate the weakness Atlanta wants to remove.
McCollum should close broken possessions
McCollum remains the roster’s most dependable late-clock scorer.
Atlanta acquired him in the Young trade and later signed him to a one-year, $21 million extension. His shooting gave Johnson more room to attack, while his pull-up game punished defenders who ducked under screens.
Snyder should use him as an emergency option, not the entire second-unit offense.
An early first-quarter substitution would allow McCollum to return beside Nembhard or Flemings. That overlap gives the younger guards protection without taking away their responsibility.
Nembhard should still call the first action.
Flemings should still receive opportunities to attack.
McCollum can work away from the ball, curl around a screen, or space above the break. When the defense destroys the set and the clock drops below eight seconds, Atlanta can hand him the problem.
That role preserves his legs and protects the bench from chaos.
More importantly, it lets the Hawks evaluate their young creators honestly. Nembhard and Flemings will not develop if McCollum solves every uncomfortable possession before they make a decision.
The veteran should rescue failures, not prevent experimentation.
Landale can connect the two young guards
A reserve playmaker needs a dependable screening partner.
Jock Landale gives Atlanta one. His strength, shooting range, and quick decisions can help both young guards without demanding a large offensive role.
Nembhard benefits from a big who sets firm screens and recognizes the next pass. Flemings gains room from a center willing to pop beyond the arc or flow into a dribble handoff.
Start with Nembhard and Landale in high pick-and-roll.
When the defense drops, Nembhard can reach the lane. If the center steps forward, Landale rolls behind him. A switch allows Atlanta to enter the ball inside or trigger another action.
Flemings becomes the next layer.
After Nembhard moves the defense, Landale can reverse the ball and screen again for the rookie. One possession has now forced the opposing center through two coverages and made three defenders communicate.
That progression connects the guards instead of separating their touches.
Atlanta does not need dozens of reserve plays. It needs several actions that flow naturally from one player’s strength into another’s.
The rest of the bench must finish advantages
Snyder should resist asking every perimeter player to create.
Dort brings elite point-of-attack defense and playoff experience. His offensive work should remain direct. Screen, cut, attack open space, and shoot when defenders leave him.
Wiggins fits as a connector. He has spent years making quick decisions around high-usage creators, and his career 3-point shooting gives Atlanta another credible spacer.
Carter offers speed, rebounding, and defensive pressure. Those skills can change a game without turning him into a full-time half-court organizer.
None of them needs to run extended possessions.
Dort should punish neglected space. Wiggins can cut behind ball-watching defenders. Carter should push after turnovers and attack before the defense settles.
Kispert and Buddy Hield provide shooting that can stretch the weak side. Their gravity matters even when neither touches the ball.
Clear roles will make Atlanta look deeper.
Confused roles will leave three guards exchanging dribbles above the arc while the clock disappears.
Snyder should build reserve groups around one organizer, one secondary attacker, two finishers, and a screening big. The names can change. The balance cannot.
Camp must test process rather than preseason scoring
The Hawks should not judge these lineups only by points.
A reserve group can miss six open threes and still produce functional offense. Another unit can make contested jumpers while developing habits that collapse against playoff pressure.
Snyder’s staff should track the details that travel.
Did the first action begin before the shot clock reached 17?
Did somebody touch the paint?
How many defenders moved before the shot?
Could Atlanta flow into a second action without stopping the possession?
Those questions matter more than one hot preseason box score.
Nembhard’s evaluation should center on control. Does he place teammates in useful positions? Can he protect the ball when opponents pick him up full court?
Flemings needs a different test. Does his aggression improve the possession, or does it pull him into traffic without an exit?
Their minutes together deserve special attention. Atlanta must learn whether Nembhard’s patience can create the conditions for Flemings’s speed.
That combination may determine whether the bench develops an identity.
Atlanta needs a hierarchy before opening night
How the Hawks can fix second-unit creation before camp ends does not require another dramatic transaction.
The roster already contains enough ballhandling, shooting, and defensive versatility. What it lacks is an established order.
Nembhard should organize the first bench shift. Flemings should attack the advantage he creates. Johnson must cover the minutes most likely to collapse. McCollum should finish broken possessions without dominating healthy ones.
Around them, every job becomes simpler.
Landale screens and connects. Dort defends and cuts. Wiggins fills gaps. Carter changes the pace. Kispert and Hield stretch the floor.
Nobody needs to solve everything.
Atlanta spent years building its identity around one dominant point guard. The new version wants shared creation, greater size, and stronger defense. That approach can work, but shared creation cannot become shared uncertainty.
Camp will bring mistakes. Nembhard will get hunted. Flemings will force passes that NBA defenders can reach. Veterans may seize control when possessions turn uncomfortable.
Snyder must let those problems surface.
By opening night, however, the hierarchy should feel automatic.
Nembhard starts the idea. Flemings accelerates it. Johnson steadies it. McCollum saves it.
When the game slows and the starters begin walking toward the bench, Atlanta cannot spend another possession waiting for someone to take command.
The Hawks need the answer before the clock starts bleeding again.
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