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Breaking Down the Hawks' Summer League Roster

What is Atlanta looking for from each one of its Summer League players?

Rohan Raman

Jun 28, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks first overall draft pick Zaccharie Risacher (10) poses for a photo at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 28, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks first overall draft pick Zaccharie Risacher (10) poses for a photo at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
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Las Vegas Summer League has finally arrived and the Atlanta Hawks are about to make their debut.

Today, the Hawks will be taking on the Washington Wizards at 9:30 pm ET. A lot of attention will be on the matchup between the top two picks of the 2024 NBA Draft, Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr.

However, the Hawks' coaching staff and front office will be using this game to evaluate the candidates for the Hawks' remaining roster spots. There are 16 players on the roster at the moment, so two roster spots are up for contention. Realistically, there are 11 contestants for those two spots.

Upon looking over Atlanta's 2024 Summer League roster, this projects to be one of the strongest Summer League squads the Hawks have had in some time. The full roster is below:

Unfortunately, the team will be without guard Kobe Bufkin after the second-year guard suffered a right shoulder sublaxation in practice. Bufkin will miss the rest of Summer League, which definitely affects the guard depth of the Summer League squad. He showed promising signs as a defensive stopper and secondary ball-handler in the 17 games he played for Atlanta last year. His absence will be felt, but his roster spot is not in jeopardy. Assuming he recovers well, he should be good to go by training camp and stake his claim for the backup point guard role.

While some of these names suited up for the Hawks last season, the majority of these names are new. Let's take some time to understand what each member of the roster could bring to Atlanta in 2024-25.

Rookies/Draft Picks:

Zaccharie Risacher (F, Jl St Bourg, France) - The first pick in the 2024 draft hardly needs much introduction. The 6'9 forward was taken at the top of the draft because of his shooting (38.7% from three last season on four attempts a game), off-ball movement and his defensive instincts both on and off the ball. It's practically guaranteed that he will be in Atlanta's rotation, if not the starting lineup, to begin the season. Summer League is an interesting context for him because the Hawks won't need him to be a offensive creator immediately. It is far more important that his immediately translatable skills - off-ball movement, shooting from range and taking on defensive assignments on the perimeter - are visible. There were concerns about his foot speed as a prospect, so one thing to watch for is how he reacts when guarding smaller, faster guards.

Nikola Durisic (F/G, Mega Basket, Serbia) - After averaging 14.4 points. 3.4 assists and 3 rebounds per game on 45/33/74 splits last season, the Hawks took Durisic in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. Their selection of Durisic indicates they believe they can develop him into a playmaking wing who can put pressure on the rim. His ability to drive and slash through a defense should translate well to Summer League while his passing ability is really interesting. It is not fully developed, but he can make some impressive passes while driving to the basket. The loss of Bufkin means that the team is short a ball-handler and distributor, giving Durisic the chance to show how much upside he has as a passer. I think his shot still needs some work, but he could land on the roster with a strong showing in Las Vegas.

Mo Gueye (F, Washington State, Senegal) - Gueye was selected by the Hawks in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft and received some playing time in College Park. Unfortunately, most of his year was wiped out due to a back injury and UCL sprain. That being said, he did cap off his season on the Hawks' roster and put up 19 points with 9 rebounds and 5 stocks (steals and blocks) against Indiana in the Hawks' final game of the year. For Gueye, the Summer League season will be about showing his defensive upside. Even in his College Park games, he averaged 1.3 blocks and 1.8 steals. At 6'11, he can credibly play at center in a lot of lineups. Summer League is not the best context for big men, but him showing off his defensive upside and positive growth on offense should give him a chance to crack the Hawks' rotation. At the least, he will be a worthy development project for College Park.

Moses Wood (F, Washington, USA) - Wood went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft after being a rotation wing for the Washington Huskies. He averaged 11.9 points for Washington largely owing to his talent as a shooter. He's a 6'8 wing who shot a career 40.4% from three-point range on great volume. For two years, he's shot close to 40% from beyond the arc on six attempts a game. His shooting needs to translate to Summer League in order to keep him in Atlanta.

Former Skyhawks

Rob Baker II (F, Harvard, USA) - Baker joined the College Park Skyhawks after spending the 2022-23 season with the Osceola Magic and had a solid year in his third G-League season. Even though he played in a reduced role, he upped his points-per-game from 11.2 to 14.7 and increased both his three-point attempts and percentage to solid levels (34% on five attempts per game). His efficiency dropped, but he offers size, defense and some floor spacing as a wing. There is a chance he can stick with College Park since he was a useful player for them last season.

Jordan Bowden (F/G, Tennesse, USA) - Bowden was another solid contributor for the Skyhawks in 2023-24, putting up 17.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists on good efficiency (50% from the field). His three-point percentage stands out as a notable swing skill - he connected on 48.2% of his seven attempts from beyond the arc per game. Bowden is the type of player who can easily swing a game with his shooting and that archetype tends to stand out in Summer League. If he can find consistency with his shot in a few of the games, he'll be a lock to return to College Park and possibly put himself in contention for a two-way deal.

Jarkel Joiner (G, NC State, USA) - Joiner should play a big role on this team in the absence of Kobe Bufkin. The roster is already light on guards and none of them have the playmaking abilities of Joiner. He was the Skyhawks' lead playmaker last season, averaging 4.5 assists across 30 games. His shooting is still a work in progress, but he can put pressure on the rim and hold his own on defense. Showing progress in his shot would be massive in his development and likely keep him in College Park.

Emmit Matthews Jr. (F, West Virginia, USA) - Matthews mostly played in a reserve role with College Park, only playing 14 minutes per game across 19 games. It's hard to say exactly what his upside is because of the limited playing time, so his Summer League will be about showing an obvious swing skill to merit more playing time in College Park. If he can play solid defense and put more pressure on the rim, he should be able to stick on the Skyhawks.

Miles Norris (F, UC Santa Barbara, USA) - Norris is practically a lock to make the Skyhawks roster. He spent time on a two-way deal with Atlanta last season before being released from that deal to make room for Krejci. His shooting and defense are the highlights of the game - 38.3% on five attempts is legitimate volume and he plays hard on defense. Out of the players who got steady minutes with College Park, he grabbed the third-most rebounds on the Skyhawks last year (5.6). The trio of him, Risacher and Bowden should carry the three-point shooting for Atlanta and I would expect one of them to be in the lineup at practically all times.

Newcomers

Nick Ongenda (C, De Paul, South Africa) - Ongenda spent last season in the G League with the Salt Lake City Stars and he is a classic big man. He is not much of an offensive threat, but 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks is solid. His rebounding especially shows up on defense as he recorded a 14.8% defensive rebounding percentage. If he can play off guards and finish plays while showing off solid rim protection, he'll be worth keeping around in College Park.

Keaton Wallace (G, Texas-San Antonio, USA) - While fans might be more familiar with his younger brother Cason, who gave the Oklahoma City Thunder good minutes as a rotation shooter, Keaton is a nice development project. Last year, he averaged 12.9 points, 6.1 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals on 37% shooting from 3-point range on three attempts a game with the Ontario Clippers. He earned a two-way spot with Los Angeles and it's not inconceivable to think he could earn a similar deal in Atlanta. He's a good defensive rebounder and playmaker on a Summer League roster lacking playmakers. If he can show real flashes of being a ball handler during his stint in Las Vegas, he could be stashed in College Park and elevated to the active roster in the event of injuries to Young or Bufkin.

Dylan Windler (G/F, Belmont, USA) - Windler is the most experienced player on the roster, having already played four seasons in the G League. He's a 6'6 forward who is a standout rebounder, grabbing 10.2 rebounds per game. It especially shows up on defense where he pulled down 7.8 boards a game. He is a good defender, but the question is his three-point shot. He averaged 31% on seven attempts a game, but also shot 40.7% on five attempts a game in 2022-23. He's also only played 29 games across four seasons, so it will be interesting to see what he can do if he stays healthy. If he looks more like the 2022-23 version of himself from three-point range and continues to play good defense, there's a good chance he'll be in College Park.

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Rohan Raman
ROHAN RAMAN

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