The Atlanta Hawks currently have four players on their roster who are looking to make the final roster spot that the team has left open for the offseason. The Hawks are such a deep team but it still matters who is in the final roster spot.
We saw last season that when the injury bug hits, it can be very difficult to field a competitive team for an entire season. This shows that the final roster spot is crucial and should not just be filled as an afterthought.
The four players that the Hawks are A.J. Lawson, Johnny Hamilton, Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, and the newly signed Jahlil Okafor. Luwawu-Cabarrot was signed to a non-guaranteed deal last week and Okafor was signed only a few days ago, not long after we floated the idea on the site. Now let’s look at each player’s claim to the final spot on the roster.
Atlanta Hawks fringe player No. 1) A.J. Lawson
Lawson is a 6’6″ Canadian shooting guard who went undrafted out of South Carolina. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman team, averaged 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 29 games. He also played for the
Lawson may struggle to get on the varsity roster due to the competition that he has on the wing position. Assuming that they all stay healthy, Lawson is looking likely to find himself on the College Park Skyhawks.
Atlanta Hawks fringe player No. 2) Johnny Hamilton
Hamilton is a 7’0″ center from Trinidad is trying for another crack at the league, this time with the Hawks. He signed a contract with the Detroit Pistons back in 2018 but failed to make their roster. He played summer league with the Pistons and also the Milwaukee Bucks. You would think this is the 27-year-old’s last chance this season.
Unfortunately for Hamilton, he is competing for a spot that is well serviced. He has Clint Capela, Onyeka Okongwu, Gorgui Dieng and now Jahlil Okafor ahead of him. Again, it is likely that he will play for the College Park Skyhawks this season.
Atlanta Hawks. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Hawks fringe player No. 3) Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot
The four-year NBA veteran Luwawu-Cabarrot has a reasonable chance of making the roster. A lot of this will depend on the health of De’Andre Hunter and how he progressing in the rehabilitation of his knee injury which he had surgery on prior to the playoffs finishing.
If Hunter is able to return. then things do not look good for Luwawu-Cabarrot. He will then be behind Hunter, Cam Reddish, Kevin Huerter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and the newly drafted Jalen Johnson. This is a pretty difficult mountain to climb.
Luwawu-Cabarrot, while a reasonable long shot to make the roster does have some skills that will benefit the Hawks. He is a decent long-range shooter, going at 33.1 for his career. His season-best percentage is 38.8 percent which would certainly help the Hawks.
He also is a very capable defender when on the court. Despite all that, it would be unlikely for Luwawu-Cabarrot to make the varsity squad unless, as stated before, Hunter has a hitch in his rehabilitation. The Hawks’ wing depth was tested last season so they are going to be very cautious about letting a player go of a who can help them.
Atlanta Hawks fringe player No. 4) Jahlil Okafor
Okafor, despite being signed last out of these four is probably the most likely to make the roster for next season. While the Hawks have already got a number of centers, Okafor has some solid NBA experience.
He is also a gifted scorer when he is in the right situation. While it is unlikely that the Hawks will draw up many plays for the big man if he is able to get into the right spots you can be certain that Trae Young will find him with a good pass that will enable him to score.
He is also a very good offensive rebounder which should get him court time. Per-36 Okafor is collecting 2.8 per game which is a solid number for a player who has received inconsistent court time over the years that he has been in the league.
There were a few games last season where Capela was not available. In one such game, Nate McMillan had to use Danilo Gallinari as the starting center. With Okafor on the roster, the Hawks will have two bonafide backups in Dieng and Okafor. Dieng can also play a stretch-four role alongside Okafor in the reserve unit. He offers the most potential to the roster for next season.