ESPN gave the Atlanta Hawks an "A-" for drafting Kingston Flemings and Zuby Ejiofor this summer.
They also traded up in the second round to take Henri Veesaar with the No. 52 pick. While Flemings is receiving most of the hype, Hawks fans should not sleep on the long-term outlook with Ejiofor and Veesaar as a future frontcourt duo. Their skillsets complement each other on both ends of the floor.
The Hawks needed to load up on big man depth this summer after last season's injury problems. Onyeka Okongwu, Asa Newell, and Mouhamed Gueye served as Quin Snyder's only options at center for most of the campaign, until Atlanta brought in Jock Landale at the trade deadline.
President of Basketball Operations Onsi Saleh knew he needed to fix this issue. Ejiofor and Veesaar give Snyder plenty of options for 2026-27 and beyond.
Ejiofor and Veesaar combine to check important boxes defensively
Many Hawks fans wanted a seven-footer in the draft. They eventually got their wish in the second round, but some initial reactions to drafting the 6-foot-9 Ejiofor were negative.
Despite his deep defensive repertoire and strong, physical play, Atlanta fans wanted a taller center, even though Ejiofor took home 2025-26 Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Saleh noted that Ejiofor can switch one through five on defense. His rare mix of great speed, strength, and athleticism allows him to fly by slower-footed centers in transition for easy fastbreak points.
The New York Knicks, quite frankly, out-muscled the Hawks in their first-round playoff series. Ejiofor gives Atlanta much-needed strength down low for the future.
However, while Ejiofor can jostle with centers down low in the post, taller big men might out-jump him for loose rebounds in the air. If the Hawks have a length issue down low, as they did against Mitchell Robinson in the playoffs, this is where Veesaar helps them.
Veesaar gives Atlanta a true seven-foot presence at the rim and on the glass. While his defensive positioning to protect the rim needs improvement, he has the athleticism to recover and provide weakside rim protection.
If opposing guards force the Hawks into defensive switches, Snyder can prioritize Ejiofor and Okongwu over Veesaar. If the other team goes double big, Okongwu or Ejiofor with Veesaar gives Atlanta a sufficient counter to the strategy - something it had trouble with for most of last season.
The rookies provide great mix of shooting, playmaking and finishing
Ejiofor's outside shot is a question mark heading into his NBA career. He shot just 30.5% on 1.5 attempts per game. The former St. John's prospect should play next to a shooting five to have sufficient spacing on offense. Veesaar does just that. He shot 42.6% from deep last season at the University of North Carolina.
Ejiofor is at his best offensively when he gets the ball on the roll inside. He has a good handle and ability to make quick passing reads for his teammates, hitting them on cuts or spot-up 3-pointers. Veesaar will likely be one of those shooters, forcing the other team to make a difficult decision.
Defenses must decide whether to send help to deal with Ejiofor's strong inside finishing. If they overhelp in any way, Veesaar and Atlanta's other deadeye shooters will punish them from beyond the arc.
As Atlanta starts its summer league season this week, Hawks fans should pay special attention to the chemistry between Ejiofor and Veesaar.
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