Sharpshooting forward Caleb Houstan signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks, Michael Scott’s of HoopsHype reports. Entering his fourth NBA season, the Michigan product has had a quiet start to his career but has shown flashes of being a prototypical sharpshooting forward in the modern NBA.
JUST IN: The Atlanta Hawks and Caleb Houstan agreed to a one-year deal, sources told @hoopshype. The 22-year-old shot 50.7% from 3-point range after the All-Star break and has improved his 3-point shooting in each of his first 3 NBA seasons. Agent Jason Glushon finalized the deal pic.twitter.com/LHRtPEMaTO
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 17, 2025
Houstan shot 40% from deep last season and 50.7% after the All-Star break. The Hawks lacked shooting at times last season, but GM Onsi Saleh has clearly made it a priority to improve upon this weakness. Now Houstan, Luke Kennard, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker form a terrifying bench wing trio.
Atlanta desperately needed a backup three, and Houstan appears to be their guy. While Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard have played small forward at times, bringing in Houstan with his positional size is a major upgrade to Atlanta’s bench. Now, the Hawks have an incredibly solid 9 man rotation, leaving Kobe Bufkin’s role as backup point guard as the only remaining question mark for their bench unit.
Houstan fills one of Atlanta’s last remaining weaknesses
Houstan’s slow start to his career on offense is puzzling. While he earned a healthy dose of playing time and has displayed a strong scoring ability, Houstan simply didn’t shoot the ball very often. He’s shot above league average from three in each of the past two years, yet shot only about 3 threes a game in 13 minutes of playing time.
Perhaps it was a scheme issue with Houstan. The Magic had an old school brand of basketball, while the Hawks live on the opposite end of the spectrum. Pairing his elite shooting ability with Trae Young, one of the league’s best passers, and a five out system should generate open looks for Houstan.
While Houstan brings shooting and size, he lacks on the defensive end and will need assistance from his defensive-minded teammates. Standing 6’8, Houstan is the tallest active player to have never dunked in the NBA.
This fact sheds light on Houstan’s playstyle and athleticism. On offense, he essentially only shoots catch-and-shoot threes, averaging only 0.5 two-point field goal attempts last season. Houstan likely adopted this playstyle due to his lack of lateral quickness and explosiveness, which affects his defensive output. Despite this, Houstan is a fundamentally sound defender who is always in the right position and is rarely, if ever, outworked.
Taking a one-year flyer on Houstan is yet another brilliant move from Onsi Saleh. There is essentially no risk to this move, Atlanta fills one of its few remaining weaknesses, and adds shooting in a league where you can never have enough. Expect the sharpshooting forward to recieve a serious increase in playing time this season.