Who is the Most Important Rotation Player For The Hawks in 2024?

There are three strong candidates for the title of the player that is most important to Atlanta's success in the 2024-25 season.

Oct 14, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (13) drives on Philadelphia 76ers forward KJ Martin (1) in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

While the Atlanta Hawks have one of the more underrated star duos in the NBA with Trae Young and Jalen Johnson, the depth of the team warrants a closer look.

As the Hawks painfully learned last season, two All-Star talents are not going to be enough to make a playoff run in the modern era. Those talents need to be surrounded by a rotation that accentuates their strengths while covering for their weaknesses. Due to injuries and roster construction, the Hawks did not have much of a rotation last season. Fortunately, there's reason to believe things will be better this season.

Trading Dejounte Murray was not just a move to break up an awkward fit - it also improved the depth of the Hawks' roster. Dyson Daniels and Larry Nance Jr both figure to have impactful roles as rotation pieces. Bogdan Bogdanovic is still one of the best role players in the NBA as a high-volume shooter, solid passer and neutral defender. That's even before mentioning the addition of Zaccharie Risacher as a catch-and-shoot wing and Vit Krejci contiuining his development into a rotation-caliber option for Atlanta.

Despite the multitude of options, I think there are three obvious candidates for the title of "most valuable rotation" for the Hawks in 2024.

Larry Nance Jr

Nance is the third-string center for the Hawks. However, dismissing him is ignoring all the helpful things he does on a basketball court. He might play more than most expect due to Onyeka Okongwu's toe injury, but I do think he's a very solid backup big man.

Against the Pacers, Nance accrued 11 points to pair with his 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. He followed that up by grabbing 10 rebounds against the 76ers. Seven of those boards were offensive ones that kept possessions alive for Atlanta. He had his worst game against the Heat, missing all of his threes and generally struggling to score. However, he still had 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. He cannot play a heavy minutes workload at this stage of his career and struggles with consistent production. That being said, his effort and IQ on the basketball court are unimpeachable. On defense, he's an active communicator who can stay with his assignment on most nights. He won't have the game-tilting impact of individual contributors like Bogdanovic, but he should be a reliable piece in the Hawks system.

Bogdan Bogdanovic

Speaking of Bogdanovic, his role as a high-volume shooter firmly puts him in consideration for this conversation. No one else on the Hawks outside of Young took as many threes as Bogi and he made them at a 37.4% clip. He's integral to Atlanta's offensive plan in the non-Trae minutes. Furthermore, he's a good finisher and solid connective passer. Although shooting is his best skill, he is not a one-dimensional player.

Even if he is not a starter, the gravity of his spacing makes it easier for everyone else to operate. He started 33 games for Atlanta last season, but I think he is maximized as a sixth man. That role keeps him rested and decreases the risk of him missing time with injuries. He's critical to Atlanta's offense and his absence is acutely felt.

Kobe Bufkin

Kobe Bufkin's rookie year was full of its ups and downs, but he showed flashes of being a real backup point guard with some two-way potential.

Bufkin has not had the most consistent preseason. He started off well with a nice display of his ability to run the offense in Young's absence during the Indiana game. He racked up four assists as the lead playmaker to go with nine points, three rebounds and a steal. However, he struggled as a scorer against Philly by going 2-13 from the field and missing all of his threes. He was better against Miami, dropping 15 points on 4/9 shooting to go with four assists and four rebounds. I do think the passing has been better for Bufkin this season, but he is still developing as a scorer. I expect he'll be the backup point guard since I think his overall consistency has put him above Vit Krejci. Krejci has some incredible passing touch and gotten better as a defender, but I think the Hawks are better with Bufkin as the backup. Krejci struggled against the Heat even with a bigger role, going 2/6 from the field with 3 assists to 3 turnovers.

Despite the solid floor of Nance and upside of Bufkin, I still think the most critical role player for the 2024-25 Atlanta Hawks is Bogdanovic. He fits so well with Young and Johnson while also giving the rest of the lineup plenty of space to operate. He is also critical to the Hawks' offense in the minutes where both Young and Johnson sit and keeps them from being shot out of those games.

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