Projected starting lineup and rotation ahead of Hawks preseason opener vs Pacers

The Atlanta Hawks will take on the Indiana Pacers at home in State Farm Arena in their preseason opener on October 8.

We know the who of the Hawks’ roster (for now) but the where and when is less clear.

Three-time All-Star Trae Young and fourth-year rising star forward Jalen Johnson are seemingly the only locks to start, potentially leaving three spots up for grabs during the preseason. For the opener, though, familiarity may be the best course of action.

Projecting the Hawks’ depth chart for preseason opener vs Pacers

Hawks projected starting 5 vs Pacers:

Trae Young/Dyson Daniels/De’Andre Hunter/Jalen Johnson/Clint Capela

Trae Young and Jalen Johnson are locks for the starting lineup, but every other spot has seemingly been left open with the Hawks’ offseason moves and, in some cases lack thereof. 

Centers Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu fall into the latter category, with Hawks head coach Quin Snyder artfully sidestepping a question about the latter’s chances to usurp the former in the starting lineup.

Until further notice, Capela should be expected to man the starting job.

Ditto for De’Andre Hunter, though his hold on the job is even more tenuous than Capela’s, that is if it exists at all.

The Hawks drafted Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, and it seems more like a matter of when and not if (at least it better be) the rookie will take over a starting spot.

Hunter’s is the most logical for Risacher. But Risacher could also start at shooting guard.

For now, the more proven commodity in Daniels gets first crack, promising to provide strong perimeter defense with a chance to show his shooting during the Olympics will translate to the NBA.

Hawks projected bench vs Pacers:

Kobe Bufkin/Bogdan Bogdanovic/Zaccharie Risacher/Larry Nance Jr./Onyeka Okongwu
Vit Krejci/Garrison Mathews/Seth Lundy/David Roddy/Mouhamed Gueye

Snyder and the Hawks will not go 15-deep on a regular basis, even in the preseason. But it makes plenty of sense for everyone to get some in-game run to establish a baseline for the rest of the preseason.

Bogdan Bogdanovic and Okyeka Okongwu will most likely be the first two players off the bench, with the order depending on the situation and who needs replacing.

Bogdanovic could also be a staple of closing lineups this coming season.

Obviously, Risacher and Larry Nance will get plenty of opportunities. But the second group of bench players could see a lot of mixing and matching. Garrison Mathews and Vit Krejci are the cream of this crop, though the Hawks are high on David Roddy.

Mouhamed Gueye and Seth Lundy are both promising prospects. But they have been beset by injuries to this point.

Hawks projected reserves vs Pacers:

Keaton Wallace/Kevon Harris/Daeqwon Plowden/Dominick Barlow/Tony Bradley

The two-way players have their place. However, it isn't easy to envision anyone from this group making the final 18-man roster (15 standard contracts, three two-way contracts) for the regular season.