The Atlanta Hawks acquired Jock Landale for mere cash considerations before the 2026 NBA trade deadline.
This move unsurprisingly received little national media coverage, but Landale helped Atlanta become one of the best teams in the league to end last season. He gave the Hawks a true backup center behind Onyeka Okongwu, and they brought him back on a one-year, $14 million contract this offseason.
Not only will Landale play a key role for Atlanta in 2026-27, but he will also serve as an important mentor for Henri Veesaar. The rookie enters the NBA with an impressive offensive skill set, similar to Landale's. Veesaar will undoubtedly learn valuable lessons and techniques from the five-year veteran in a Hawks uniform.
Landale and Veesaar are not afraid to let it fly from deep
Landale is a 33.6% three-point shooter on 1.5 attempts for his career. These numbers do not jump off the page, but they increased in Atlanta.
The center shot better from three, 39.1% on 2.8 tries, in 23 contests under Hawks Head Coach Quin Snyder. Atlanta heavily relied on its three-point volume, ranking inside the top nine at 39.5 attempts per game. Landale found a home in Snyder's motion and floor spacing offense, and Veesaar can do the same.
The 22-year-old shot 42.6% from downtown on 3.0 attempts per game at the University of North Carolina last season. Encouragingly, his volume went up at the Las Vegas Summer League.
Veesaar took 3.6 triples per game. His efficiency dropped to 38.9%, but this still stood as a great number. It did not matter where he was on the floor. If he had a sliver of space from beyond the arc, Veesaar showed no hesitation to shoot.
Veesaar is unlikely to fit in the rotation on opening night later this fall. He might even spend most of his rookie campaign with the College Park Skyhawks. However, his practices with Landale will be important development opportunities to adjust to the NBA's spacing and longer three-point distance.
Landale's underdog mentality perfectly applies to Veesaar
Many people expected a team to take Veesaar with a late first-round selection this summer, but this was not the case at all. The seven-foot center did not hear his name called until the second day of the draft at pick No. 52. However, this situation gives him extra motivation to prove all those other teams wrong in a Hawks uniform.
"Obviously, It didn't feel great. I was a little bit surprised," Veesaar told WSB-TV's Luke Hetrick.
The reporter asked whether the 22-year-old enters the league with a chip on his shoulder. "Hell yeah," answered Veesaar confidently with a smile.
"It didn't feel great. I was a little bit surprised."
— Luke Hetrick (@LHSportsTV) June 25, 2026
Former @UNC_Basketball C Henri Veesar on not getting drafted until late 2nd round. Says he felt the @ATLHawks were the best fit for him.
Chip on the shoulder? "Hell yeah!" @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/pGOUos5ynL
Landale has undergone a similar underdog story but in a different fashion. He signed with the San Antonio Spurs in 2021-22 after he went undrafted.
The 6-foot-11 center has not found a home in the league yet, as he has played for five teams in five years. However, Landale wants to stop this trend and feels Atlanta is the right place to do just that. He detailed these feelings to the Australian Associated Press.
"A lot of people thought I'd never last in the NBA ... I think that I'm starting to prove myself to be quite a beneficial player ... I would love to spend some more time in Atlanta and get to know the city and hopefully settle into one spot for a long while," said Landale.
Both centers have great opportunities to silence their haters. Landale's biggest annual contract of his career suggests he may be closing in on a long-term home in Atlanta. The Hawks hope he can help Veesaar do the same.
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