The 2026 NBA Draft is less than a week away, and the Atlanta Hawks have a crucial decision to make with the No. 8 pick. After a successful 2025-26 season, the franchise is looking to bolster its deep, talented young core for the future. Atlanta can look at the plethora of lottery guards or take a swing on lottery-projected center Aday Mara.
The latest draft reporting suggests the Hawks might have their decision. According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, Atlanta wants to add "an additional downhill ballhandler to complement Jalen Johnson long-term."
The draft is a cost-efficient way to add long-term talent, and one prospect fits the "downhill ballhandler" archetype to the tee - Kingston Flemings.
Flemings brings rare blend of speed, poise, and athleticism
Flemings burst onto the college basketball scene as a freshman for the University of Houston. He averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals over 37 games. Head Coach Kelvin Sampson has not trusted many freshmen to lead his offense in the past, but Flemings passed this test with flying colors.
He used his lightning-quick first step, speed, and handle to get around his defenders. Despite measuring just 6-foot-2 at the combine, Flemings is not afraid to challenge shot blockers and plays above the rim. The 19-year-old guard changes speeds quickly, sees the floor well, and makes the right reads, even when slashing at high speeds.
The Hawks are looking for this exact type of on-ball slasher this summer. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels can get into the paint, but they do not possess the same powerful, athletic finishing as Johnson. Flemings displayed this ability at Houston, and once he gets stronger to go over or through NBA defenses, it could be a scary sight.
Flemings will get the chance to improve his outside shot with the Hawks
Flemings did not shoot the 3-ball as much as some of the guards in this class. He took only 2.9 3-pointers per game but shot an efficient 38.7%. The Cougars did not take many threes as a team this season.
They shot 25.2 three-pointers per game, which ranked 108th, but Flemings showed the ability to knock them down. Atlanta would be a perfect destination for him to increase his perimeter shooting volume.
Head Coach Quin Snyder encourages his players to let it fly from deep. Dyson Daniels only shot 18.8% from beyond the arc last season, but he made over 31.0% of his triples in his three prior campaigns. Flemings already posted great efficiency numbers. Now he just needs to play in a system predicated on perimeter shooting and slashing to the rim, and Snyder's offense fits this bill.
Atlanta ranked inside the top nine in three-point makes (14.6), attempts (39.5), and efficiency (37.1%) in 2025-26. If Flemings becomes a volume threat from deep, it will only make his downhill driving game that much more dangerous.
The Hawks would be betting on that upside if they take him in the lottery next week.
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