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Three Most Underrated Hawks Entering the 2026-2027 Season

Apr 10, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) warms up on the court prior to the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Three Most Underrated Hawks Entering the 2026-2027 Season

Originally posted on Atlanta Hawks on SI
By Jackson Caudell | Last updated Aug 31, 2026 3:30 PM ET

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We are in the pit of the NBA offseason, but there is less than a month until training camps open up, and the season will only be a few weeks away at that point.

The Eastern Conference has gotten more competitive this offseason, but the Atlanta Hawks have seemingly flown under the radar despite the finish they had last season and the moves they made over the past couple of months. CJ McCollum and Jock Landale are back; they drafted three talented rookies, including Kingston Flemings with the No. 8 pick, and traded for Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins, among others. Atlanta has gotten deeper, tougher, and more physical this offseason and are going to be competing for a playoff spot again.

Coming into last season, you could argue that Jalen Johnson was one of the most underrated players in the league and he responded by making his first All-Star game and being named to Third Team All-NBA. Coming into this season, who is being overlooked on this roster?

1. C Onyeka Okongwu

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Onyeka Okongwu has steadily gotten better in each season of his career, but he is not looked at as one of the best centers in the league. I am not here to make an argument that he is one of the five best centers in the league, but he is a lot closer to the Top Ten in the NBA than most believe.

His size limits his ability to protect the rim on defense, but Okongwu is good at just about everything. He is a better rebounder than given credit for, can make the right read and find the open cutter as the passer in the offense, can guard on the perimeter and inside, and showed he could expand his shooting range beyond the arc. What is in store for him entering this season?

2. Dyson Daniels

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Dyson Daniels has won the NBA's Most Improved Player Award, finished second for Defensive Player of the Year, and made the All-Defensive team in each of the last two years. Yet somehow, I think he is still not valued appropriately around the league.

Daniels gets his flowers on defense, as he is one of the elite defenders in the league and one of the best at stealing the ball and creating more possessions on the other end. When it comes to offense though, analysts and fans alike only look at his three-point shooting percentage and declare him a poor offensive player.

He needs to improve his shooting from three, there is no doubt, but Daniels ranked in the 94th percentile in offensive rebounding for a wing per Cleaning the Glass and a career-high 23.1 AST%. He holds value to the Hawks' offense, and if he can improve his shooting numbers, he becomes an All-NBA-Caliber player.

3. Aaron Wiggins

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Wiggins was one of the first acquisitions of the offseason for Atlanta, and they are hoping that he can be better with an expanded role; and I think he can.

Wiggins is being looked at as a castoff from the Thunder and pointed to his playoff struggles this postseason. He underperformed, but I still think he has a lot of room to improve and is going to get that chance with the Hawks. He is a versatile defender and three-point shooter, but I think he can expand his game, especially on offense.

He is set to be one of the Hawks best bench players and could be a Most Improved Candidate.

This article first appeared on Atlanta Hawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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