Quin Snyder's impossible upcoming lineup decision could alter the Hawks' future

There are 23 games remaining in the regular season for the Atlanta Hawks.

At three games under .500, the time they have to turn it around is quickly running out. At 2-1 since the All-Star break, they're on the right track, but still have quite the way to go. While the roster-building has suggested a future-focused mindset in the front office, the guys currently rostered want to win now.

It's not just the players, either. Quin Snyder is tired of losing. His latest lineup decision confirmed that. Half an hour before tip-off Sunday afternoon, Lauren Williams of the AJC reported that Zaccharie Risacher would head to the bench in place of CJ McCollum.

A bold move, no doubt, but it wasn't something that came entirely out of left field. Snyder had been hinting at a lineup change for some time. Ahead of Friday's game against the Heat, he made sure to note that their closing lineup, which includes McCollum, has been by far their most effective.

With McCollum in the starting group, the Hawks are accepting that they're going to be at a size disadvantage most nights. They've already got one of the league's smallest starting centers, and now they're sacrificing even more defense for offensive stability.

That disadvantage, however, may not last too long. While McCollum's still going to play big minutes regardless of if he starts or comes off the bench, the expected return of Jonathan Kuminga will force Quin Snyder to make a series of tough decisions.

The unfortunate reality of the NBA is that not everybody can receive nightly playing time. Well, one Hawk may soon be about to experience that. There are still several days until Kuminga's re-evaluation, but once his return date is set, the rotation instantly becomes much more complicated.

For better or for worse, Atlanta's forward room is packed.

CJ McCollum is expected to remain in the starting lineup for some time, but there's no shortage of conversation to be had about how the rest of the rotation should be shaped. Between Jonathan Kuminga, Zaccharie Risacher and Corey Kispert, there's plenty of talent to choose from.

With those three guys playing similar positions, however, one of them is likely to fall out of the rotation entirely. Two years removed from being the first-overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher should be given more grace than the others.

Kuminga, as well, deserves more opportunity than he's been given in his career to this point. Snyder understands that, and is likely to give him over 20 minutes nightly off the bench, if not in the starting lineup.

Corey Kispert, despite his defensive shortcomings, is an outside shooting specialist who brings valuable positional size. Again, Snyder can't necessarily go wrong here, but all signs suggest that Kispert will be the one to inevitably be removed from the rotation.

That's easier to say without looking at the payroll, too. Kuminga could be off the books this upcoming offseason, while Kispert is locked in for at least another two years. It could be difficult to move off of him this summer, which cold have more of a factor on the lineup than initially expected.

Atlanta's forward room being as loaded as it is can be a gift and a curse. While there's plenty of optionality at play here, benching any of these proven rotation players could come with a hefty amount of negative attention.