Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options

There are very few question marks about the Atlanta Hawks going into the 2023-24 season.

The ones that do exist, however, are significant. And none are more so than who will start at power forward. While Atlanta has many options, they have tipped their hand regarding their preferred direction.

Which direction should they go in, though?

Start: De’Andre Hunter

Hunter may be the Hawks’ best in-house option at power forward despite also being their best option at small forward. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds, Hunter has the size to play up a position, though his injury history is cause for pause – he missed 78 of a possible 154 games during the 2021 and 2022 seasons combined.

However, Hunter made a career-high 67 appearances last season, and even logged 1,175 possessions at power forward, per Cleaning The Glass.

Atlanta boasted a plus-1.4 net rating with Hunter in that spot.

That ranked in the 61st percentile. More importantly, it is a substantial enough sample size to suggest that the look is sustainable and one that the Hawks have already explored, notable following word that they are prepared to enter the season with the roster as-is.

Hunter, 25, averaged 15.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists last season, He shot 46.1% from the floor and 35% from beyond the arc. He averaged 16.7 points, 5.7 boards, and 1.2 assists in the postseason, shooting 36.8% from deep. But that has not kept him out of trade rumors this summer.

What the Hawks would lose in rebounding by having Hunter at power forward, they gain in perimeter defense and a budding offensive game.

Hunter is beginning a four-year, $90 million contract this season which has played a part in the trade rumors surrounding him. The Dallas Mavericks were said to be interested but not on his current contract.

That could wind up being a blessing in disguise.

Bench: Jalen Johnson

Johnson is still the player who had lottery-pick potential only to land in the Hawks’ lap at No. 20 overall in 2020. After being used as a backup center as a rookie, Johnson almost all of his minutes at power forward last season with 2,071 possessions, and he has been working with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James this offseason.

It could pay off big time if he can refine his skills.

Johnson, 21, averaged 5.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists last season but saw his role fluctuate after Quin Snyder took over as head coach, particularly in the playoffs against the Boston Celtics.

He closed the regular season strong, though, averaging 10.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.2 blocks over the final six games after returning from a hamstring injury.

The Hawks’ net rating with Johnson at power forward was minus-0.7 last season.

Their top three groupings were substantially better, though, which is why Johnson ends up in the “bench” section. His skill set suggests he needs more playing time but he also still needs the ball in his hands at this point as a 28.2% three-point shooter so far in his career. Even in that strong stretch to end the season he shot just 26.7% from long distance.

Snyder’s teams feature the long ball. It would figure that Johnson’s efficiency from the outside will need to become more consistent before he can assume a starting role full-time, though he does have the potential.

Cut: Saddiq Bey

To be clear, this is only a suggestion to keep Bey out of the starting power forward spot. He should certainly be a big part of the Hawks’ plans given the way he played after being acquired at the trade deadline.

Bey, 24, averaged 11.0 points while canning 40% of his threes in 25 appearances for the Hawks last season.

They boasted a plus-18.8 net rating with him in the 4 spot.

He only logged 284 possessions there, though, far from enough of a sample size to draw any sort of conclusion. We do know that Bey is the best floor spacer out of the three and, as such, he should be on the floor, particularly with two guards who want to get into the lane in Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.

But Bey at power forward could create all of the rebounding concerns that Hunter would in a smaller frame.

Going up against bigger matchups more often could also adversely affect Bey’s efficiency.

Bey is going into the final year of his contract this season. While the Hawks didn’t exactly break the bank to acquire him, they almost certainly want to get a better idea of just what he can be for them long-term before making that commitment.

They were also very good with him at small forward so it is not as if they would be hurting themselves. And, in the current NBA, positions are largely fungible on a play-to-play basis as switching and matchup-seeking are prevalent in almost every game. Basically, the key for the Hawks is simply starting Bey and Hunter at the forward spots.

Wildcard: Pascal Siakam/Finding an Upgrade at Power Forward

The Hawks’ persistently rumored pursuit of Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam suggests they need to upgrade the position.

Siakam would be an instant upgrade even over the departed John Collins, who was traded to the Utah Jazz this offseason. But word of his unwillingness to commit to a new team if he is traded could be unsettling for a front office. Still, as we saw with the Raptors’ trade for Kawhi Leonard, the results can be worth it.

The Hawks are said to have offered a package that included both Griffin and Hunter. But there is also an outside belief that rookie Kobe Bufkin could be the piece that puts the deal over the top for Toronto who had eyes for him leading up to the draft.

If the Hawks were willing to go to such measures to bring Siakam in, they could be willing to explore other options as well.

Some of those options might not present themselves until closer to the February trade deadline.

That could work out in the Hawks’ favor, though, since it gives them a chance to evaluate their in-house options before committing more resources to another blockbuster trade. They are still in debt after acquiring Dejounte Murray last offseason, with draft picks owed to the San Antonio Spurs in 2025 and 2027 as well as a potential swap in 2026.