While the Hawks didn't luck into a top-four lottery pick during the ping-pong ball fiasco that is the draft lottery this May, their consolation prize at No. 8 isn't looking bad at all.
Kingston Flemings has continued to impress game after game - after a strong summer league saga, Flemings has sewn together a multitude of positive preseason performances.
If Flemings continues to look as NBA ready as he has this summer and preseason, how soon could the youngster relegate CJ McCollum to the Hawks' bench?
Kingston's lack of a telltale rookie flaw - poor ball security
Many rookies - especially rookie point guards - struggle with one brutal flaw: maintaining possession without careless turnovers.
It's incredibly rare to encounter a rookie playmaker bereft of such a flaw, but the Hawks may have found one such gem eight picks into the 2026 NBA Draft.
Flemings capped off an impressive preseason with a 6 AST, 0 TO evening against the Dallas Mavericks, proving once again that he's more than capable of taking the reigns of the offense without steering the team astray.
CJ McCollum coming off the bench?
While Kingston's abilities as a playmaker have been on full display, the question has to be asked - what would the Hawks' rotation look like should he replace CJ in the starting five?
I'd love to not only see Kingston square off against some of the most impressive scorers as a defender in the starting lineup, but also see McCollum use his innate abilities as an instant advantage creator off the bench.
While McCollum continues to age, a graceful way of capitalizing upon his scoring while mitigating his inevitable efficiency decline would be a bench shift. McCollum will likely be able to feast on bench defenders well into his late 30's, while Kingston slots into the starting five to take on the more dangerous defensive assignments.
McCollum could slot into a role that Jonathan Kuminga filled last postseason - a creator off the bench that kept the offense alive while the starters sat. While the defense wasn't elite from Kuminga (and isn't expected to be for McCollum next year), the most important aspect they bring is on the offensive end of the floor as a pure engine.
Of course, it all depends on Flemings' ability to translate his strong performances to the regular season. If he proves yet again he's worthy of such a responsibility (I'd certainly wager he will), don't be surprised if he slots into the starting five much sooner than expected.
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