Hawks vs Pacers: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups For Tonight's Preseason Matchup

The Atlanta Hawks open their preseason up tonight against the Indiana Pacers

Jan 12, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) shoots over Indiana Pacers forward Jalen Smith (25) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The NBA Preseason is in full swing and the Atlanta Hawks are back in action tonight. While the Hawks season opener against the Brooklyn Nets is still two weeks away, we will get to see the new look team tonight against the team that made the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the Indiana Pacers.

Since their loss to the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Play-In Tournament, Atlanta has traded Dejounte Murray and brought in new players such as Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels, and Larry Nance to help their team. It is the first chance to see these new players and how they all fit together, even if it is just a preseason game.

What is head coach Quin Snyder looking to for from his team tonight? He talked about it earlier this week:

"As you said, it's one data point, you know, I think more than anything, you know, I want us to, I want to see us execute on the defensive end with the same focus that we want to execute on the offensive end and really understand, you know, the connectivity between what we do on offense and really understand, you know, the connectivity between what we do on offense and how it impacts our defense. You know, something as simple as a guard drives to the basket and lays the ball in, suddenly we have an unbalanced floor. The other thing, the overlay on that, in my mind, is just our communication. And that's something that I think is a challenge, generally, to get guys to get out of themselves. Part of it is knowing what to say. So I would say that relationship on both sides of the ball and how communication really affects your level."

Game Preview

For tonight, it will be tricky to guess how many minutes the Hawks major rotation players will get. I would also not look too deep into the starting lineup. The preseason is a chance for Snyder to experiment with different lineups and rotations and might not reflect what he does in the regular season. Just keep that in mind when watching tonight.

The one thing I can guarantee you is that Trae Young is going to be a starter when the regular season comes around. Young is going to be the leader of the Hawks offense and it will be the first time he has led the team without Dejounte Murray since the start of the 2021-2022 season. How many minutes does he play tonight? I would guess not a lot, but Young is always a must watch when on the court.

The other starting spot for the Hawks that is not in question is the power forward spot, which is commanded by Jalen Johnson. Johnson had a massive breakout season a year ago, but it was hampered by injuries at times. Like Young, I don't know how many minutes Johnson plays, but he is the No. 2 option on Atlanta now and he might have new playmaking repsonsibilities with Murray no longer on the team.

The other spots are open though and that might be the No. 1 point of intrigue in tonight's game.

For the starting backcourt spot next to Young, there could be a number of options for them. Bogdan Bogdanovic, Dyson Daniels, Zaccarie Risacher, or even Vit Krejci could get the start tonigt. Snyder had mentioned Krejci several times during training camp and he provides size and shooting for the team.

At the small forward spot, it could be De'Andre Hunter getting the nod, but it could be Risacher or even Daniels in this spot. Daniels has the elite defense that the Hawks need, but can he provide enough on the offensive end to help this team? Daniels is one of the most intriguing Hawks to watch this year.

That brings us to Risacher, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. A lot of people are going to be tuning in tonight to see Risacher make his NBA debut and what his potential role with the team could be. Again, don't overreact to how Risacher performs (good or bad) in his first NBA action, but he provides a lot of things the Hawks need and he showed a wide array of skills in Summer League.

The starting center will likely be Clint Capela tonight, but the Hawks of course still have Onyeka Okongwu. Larry Nance is a veteran in the frontcourt and I am intrigued to see how many minutes he gets tonight.

There are plenty of other players to watch tonight. How does Kobe Bufkin look tonight? Does Dominick Barlow, Keaton Wallace, or Seth Lundy have a path to playing time this year? They are likely to get plenty of minutes tonight and have a certain skillset that can help the Hawks.

For the Pacers, they of course have a high-powered offense led by Tyrese Haliburton, but he has plenty of talent around him. Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith can present matchup problems. The Pacers gave the Hawks fits last season with their pace and scoring ability and I want to see if the Hawks can do better against this team tonight. Like the Hawks, I am not sure how many minutes the starters are going to play for Indiana, but how the Hawks matchup with them defensively is something to watch tonight if all starters play.

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: Bally Sports Southeast

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be underdogs at hometonight, as they are currently 1.5 point underdogs according to the latest odds from the Fanduel Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 227.5.

Projected Starting Lineups (Note: It is the preseason and the starting lineup could be anything):

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G-Bogdan Bogdanovic

F- Dyson Daniels

F- Jalen Johnson

C- Clint Capela

Pacers:

G-Tyrese Haliburton

G- Andrew Nembhard

F- Aaron Nesmit

F- Pascal Siakam

C-Myles Turner