Three Burning Questions Ahead of Atlanta Hawks Training Camp

It didn't take long for former Houston standout Kingston Flemings to make a positive impression in the NBA. He was an impressive facilitator during his time on the Las Vegas and Salt Lake City Summer League circuits. Flemings found open teammates, created good looks, and didn't turn the ball over. However, his abilities as a jump shooter remain concerning.

Flemings shot 30.8% from the field in Summer League. That simply isn't going to cut it at the NBA level. The good news is that Summer League efficiency is rarely a predictor of future performance. There's plenty of time for the young Hawks point guard to show growth in this area. Even so, it'd be encouraging if he were able to put up some better results as a shooter in the scrimmage portions of training camp.

Dort or CJ?

The case for starting CJ McCollum or Lu Dort next to Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the first five is one that is going to be resolved in the regular season. Unless Snyder is already insistent on a certain approach, it would be impossible for either player to show enough in a few days to end the competition.

By playing CJ, the Hawks would likely be a better offense. McCollum's shooting (career 39.5% shooter from deep on 6.4 attempts per game) makes up for the lack of spacing in Daniels' game. However, McCollum's defensive effort is going to wax and wane during the regular season due to his age. In contrast, Dort has earned a reputation as one of the most physical perimeter defenders in the league.

The problem is that he's coming off a season where he shot 34.4% from deep. He does have two seasons of shooting above 39% on decent volume prior to that down season, but it's possible that those numbers were simply a product of OKC's system.

Even so, it'll be interesting how the chemistry between the starters flows when either of McCollum or Dort are in the scrimmages.

Who's The Third Center?

In my opinion, this is the most important offseason question for the Hawks, and training camp will be the first step in answering it. Henri Veesaar may not have been a huge part of Atlanta's plans this season, but he was a good contingency option for them to have. He's now out for the entire season.

His injury leaves three realistic candidates to be the third center: Zuby Ejiofor, Asa Newell, and Mo Gueye. Onyeka Okongwu is not going anywhere, and Jock Landale got paid this offseason to be his backup. Dorian Finney-Smith has played some small-ball center in certain lineups during his career, but he's 33 years old and coming off arguably the worst season of his career. It's a look the Hawks might try at times during the season, but I'd be surprised if he were a serious candidate to be the third center.

Rather, it'll be on Newell to show growth as a sophomore and Ejiofor to show that he's already ready for NBA physicality. Gueye is currently injured while recovering from a foot injury, but he could factor into the competition once he's healthy. Therefore, Newell and Ejiofor seem like the names to watch here. It'll come down to which player can show enough defensive value to stay on the court while bringing rebounding value and some offensive contribution when necessary.

That effort and overall understanding of the system is going to be tested in camp by Snyder and his coaching staff. Both players could earn some opportunities as the third center, but training camp provides an opportunity for one of them to stake an early claim.