The Atlanta Hawks got off to a hot start to their 2026 Summer League outing in Las Vegas on Thursday, blowing out the San Antonio Spurs, 93-66.
A whopping seven players on the Hawks roster scored double digits in their Vegas debut, led by Asa Newell and rookie Henri Veesaar, who scored 15 points and 14 points.
Buried beneath the top of the box score, however, was Hawks' lottery pick, Kingston Flemings, who finished with just five points on 2-of-7 shooting.
With a game-high eight assists, though, Flemings' strengths and weaknesses are quickly rising to the surface, and while it's nothing for the Hawks' front office to worry about, it is something that they might need to get used to.
Historically, rookie guards, especially in Flemings' situation, almost always take time to develop their shooting quirks and instincts. The amazing thing about his playstyle, though, is that he already possesses the tools to command an NBA offense without needing to be the team's primary scorer.
Without looking at the points, Kingston Flemings' Las Vegas debut was like watching a seasoned veteran in control of his offense. So far, Flemings has only committed a total of three turnovers across his three Summer League games, which is already a step above his peers coming out of the draft, considering that Flemings also added an additional 22 assists in those three games.
Flemings' shooting development can be strategically used
While Atlanta continues to develop Flemings' shooting, there's an inadvertent advantage buried beneath this concern. Contrary to Dyson Daniels last season, even if Flemings is unloading the clip at an inefficient rate, defenses still have to respect his ability from beyond the arc.
Last season, defenses had the ability to sag off Dyson Daniels amidst his historically bad shooting numbers. Now, with defenses forced to respect Flemings, driving lanes and pass-out opportunities will inevitably open up.
Additionally, this situation takes a large amount of pressure off of Flemings' shoulders, knowing that he won't be demanded to be their top scorer from day one. With other scoring counterparts by his side, such as Asa Newell and fellow rookie Zuby Ejiofor, Flemings can get real in-game shooting reps without being burdened by the frustration of his shots not falling through.
I won't go as far as to say that the Atlanta Hawks won't be able to be a contender in this East next season, but it is to say that long-term development has been the team's strategy ever since they traded Trae Young to the Wizards back in January.
With so much young talent on the roster, the likely championship window is still a way's away, but just last month, we saw the San Antonio Spurs go on a miraculous run with one of the youngest teams in the league.
So to say it's impossible would be naive, but it will require the Hawks to overcome tremendous odds, all the while prioritizing their rookie point guard's development.
It will be interesting to see where the Hawks fall in the Eastern Conference this upcoming season, but it will be exciting nonetheless to see how far this young Hawks squad can truly go.
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