2024-25 Atlanta Hawks Roster Preview: David Roddy

Can Roddu break into the Hawks' rotation as wing depth in 2024-25?

Feb 6, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward David Roddy (21) shoots during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Age: 23

Height, Weight: 6'4, 255 lbs

2023-24 Averages: 6.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game on 40.3%/29.3%/69.1% splits

Career Averages: 6.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game on 41.6%/30.1%/66.2% shooting splits (135 games)

Despite an NBA career rife with change, David Roddy is an interesting flier for Atlanta to take on.

On the night of the 2022 NBA Draft, he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers but immediately traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. Roddy put together a decent rookie campaign, averaging 6.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists. However, he struggled to build on that in his second season and was traded to Phoenix in exchange for Chimeze Metu and Yuta Watanabe. Atlanta acquired him during Summer League this year in a player-for-player swap that sent E.J Liddell to Phoenix.

In Phoenix, he was not able to make much of an impact. He only played 17 games for Phoenix, but only played about four minutes a night. Therefore, it's hard to really take much from his stint there. However, Roddy is an interesting archetype of player and there's some reason to think he could be better in Atlanta.

Roddy is 6'4, but he has a 6'11 wingspan and is big enough to match up with power forwards and wings. There are not a lot of players that have his measurables, so the ideal role for him would be as a smaller power forward. He's showed some versatility as a defensive piece and is hard to move as an interior defender. However, his perimeter defense has not been consistent. He showed signs of having the quickness and lateral agility to be a good perimeter defender as a rookie. However, things were not as strong in He will need to show growth in that area in order to stay on the floor.

On offense, Roddy's value is almost entirely contingent on whether or not he's making shots. There are games where he can get hot and be an effective scorer - his 24-point outing against the Mavericks stands out as an example. However, those games are mostly the result of him using his size to dominate against smaller players. He is not a consistent shooter from three-point range, which makes it hard for him to play heavy minutes. This is an area he will need to show growth in if he wants to remain with Atlanta.

During his time with the Suns' G League affiliate, Roddy had a standout game against the Thunder where he dropped 21 points, six rebounds and five assists. He also hit four of his eight three-pointers, which could indicate growth as a shooter. It will be interesting to see if he can parlay that into the opportunities he gets with Atlanta.

For 2024-25, I would expect Roddy to spend some time in the G League with call-ups scattered throughout the season.

Best-Case Scenario: Roddy shows signs of growth as a three-point shooter (34% on three attempts a game) and returns to being the defender he was as a rookie. He gives the Hawks good minutes as injury relief and makes a strong impression on the coaching staff for next season.

Worst-Case Scenario: Roddy is not able to stick with the team through preseason action and ends up being released early in the season.