Atlanta tipped off their 2025 preseason last night against the Houston Rockets, where they lost 113-122. While the outcome of a preseason game does not matter in the grand scheme of things, there was no shortage of intrigue as the new-look Hawks took on the new-look Rockets.
There have been many storylines to follow this offseason, with one of them being who will be the third center behind Kristaps Porzingis and Onyeka Okongwu. This will not be someone who gets minutes every night, but a reliable option if one of the two big men were to go down with an injury.
Enter N'Faly Dante, who Atlanta signed to a two-year deal with minimal guarantees during the last half of the offseason. Dante has just four games of NBA experience under his belt, but with further development, he could become an excellent fit in this third-string role.
He made his Hawks debut in last night's preseason game and had a bit of a larger role than expected, checking in during the second half as Atlanta's 11th man. Interestingly enough, he saw the floor before third-year forward Mo Gueye.
The 23-year old dominated the paint last night.
Dante played 13 minutes last night, which was tied for the third-highest minute total in the second unit. Once he got some action, it was hard to justify putting him back on the bench.
Even though he went scoreless in those minutes, Dante grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds while also having an assist and a block. Notably, Kristaps Porzingis and Onyeka Okongwu combined for just one rebound.
This brings up another major issue. The Hawks have a rebounding problem after losing Clint Capela. While we hopefully will never see as poor a performance from the main guys on the glass again, Atlanta may need to consider plugging in Dante every now and then for an additional boost down low.
Also, we're seeing a double big lineup right now.
— Zach Langley (@langleyatl) October 7, 2025
Both KP and OO are out there.
General Manager Onsi Saleh placed heavy emphasis on bringing in frontcourt depth this summer. One of Atlanta's biggest weaknesses last season was on full display when Jalen Johnson, Clint Capela and Larry Nance Jr. all went down with prolonged injuries.
This forced Atlanta to go deep into their rotation to make up for the absences. While Mo Gueye, Georges Niang, and Dominick Barlow held it down for the second half of the season, it was more than clear that the team would not be able to go far if their frontcourt rotation did not improve.
The improvements Atlanta made to their big man lineup received national praise. Kristaps Porzingis was a blockbuster addition, but the under-the-radar signing of N'Faly Dante could be looked back on as the steal of the offseason.