Tiering the Summer League Hawks by chance at a 2024-25 roster spot

Assistant head coach Ronald Nored will soon lead the 13 names who comprise the 2024 edition of the Las Vegas Summer League Atlanta Hawks into battle beginning this Friday against the Washington Wizards.

Some, like Zaccharie Risacher and Nikola Djurisic, will being seeing their first ever action in an NBA-like setting after being drafted from playing overseas. Others are returning veterans from previous summer leagues and/or G League play.

There is a heavy College Park Skyhawks influence in this mix, and one would figure most of the unsigned guys will ultimately head there or elsewhere in the G League for the upcoming season. But it’s always possible a strong showing in the Las Vegas showcase could equal a Hawks training camp invite or even more.

So without further ado, let’s attempt to tier the hopefuls by their chance at a Hawks or Skyhawks invite for the upcoming season.

The Skyhawks Hopefuls

F Moses Wood

Wood profiles similarly to Miles Norris, another long-range threat forward. For his NCAA Division I basketball career, he averaged 10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 58% of his shots from three, hitting on 40% of those. He had stops at four different schools (Tulane, UNLV, Portland and Washington) during his college career, and he’ll use this chance with the Hawks to prove his worth after going undrafted in 2024.

C Nick Ongenda

The Summer League Hawks are carrying just one player that is listed as a center in their release, Nick Ongenda. Ongenda is a 6-foot-11 Canadian big man who spent four years between 2019 and 2023 at DePaul and last season with the Salt Lake City Stars of the G League. There, he averaged 4.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game.

He profiles as a low usage, rim protecting big and shot block artist. His defensive presence in Las Vegas will help set the tone for the whole team.

W Emmitt Matthews Jr.

Matthews is the first, but certainly not the last, of last season’s Skyhawks to make this squad mentioned here. The wing from West Virginia had a lesser role on the 2023-24 Skyhawks, averaging just 14.3 minutes and 3.3 points per contest. Like his role there, Matthews will bring modest glue guy contributions out West for the young team.

G Jarkel Joiner

Joiner is a spark plug point guard with some real 94-foot defensive chops. Joiner averaged 10.0 points and 3.8 assists in 46 games last season with the Skyhawks. He’s a downhill bucket getter with a quick first step, but the biggest question mark is can his outside shot become a real weapon?

F Rob Baker II

Harvard graduate and Georgia native Rob Baker II had a solid 2023-24 season in College Park, averaging 14.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. This swingman does a little bit of everything: he makes quick decisions in whether to pass, shoot or dribble, has the ability to defend multiple positions, and works hard to fit into any lineup you throw him out in.

The Skyhawks Likelies

F/C Miles Norris

Norris should be a familiar name to even those who don’t follow the Skyhawks. Norris began the 2023-24 season on a two-way deal with the Atlanta Hawks, but never saw action with the senior squad before being released from his two-way contract to make way for Vit Krejci in December.

Now 24, Norris has showed promise with a keen touch from three (38% from three last season) and improved interior defense as a tandem with Chris Silva for the third-best defense in the league. He’ll most likely play the 4 and 5 for the next few weeks, looking to stretch the court with his shooting and fly around and clean up around the rim on defense.

W Jordan Bowden

Bowden was signed later in the 2023-24 season, but in his short time with the Skyhawks he largely impressed. The 27-year-old shooting guard came to the Skyhawks from the Maine Celtics, and poured in 17.1 points per contest in 16 games while shooting 50% from the field and 48% from three. There’s no lack of confidence in his game, and that should play well in this format for him.

G Keaton Wallace

Wallace, the brother of Oklahoma City Thunder Cason Wallace, signed a camp contract with the College Park Skyhawks and played just 16 games for them in 2023-24 during the G League Winter Showcase Cup.

Wallace is an athletic, sure-handed point guard with a decent enough three-point shot. He averaged 12.9 points and 5.8 assists per game whilst shooting 44% from the floor and 37% from three. Sadly, an injury derailed his season prior to the G League regular season, but hopefully he can return with a bang like the below dunk.

Looking for a Hawks Contract

G/W Nikola Djurisic

It’s unclear whether Djurisic will stay overseas or sign a similar deal to the one the Hawks handed out last season to Mouhamed Gueye. But five games with the Hawks should be a useful showing of the creation upside Djurisic may or may not have in an NBA-like setting.

W Dylan Windler

Windler, the most experienced NBA player in the squad, was signed late last season as a two-way player after the Hawks converted Trent Forrest into a standard deal. Across three NBA teams last season, he shot 13-for-27 (48%) from deep and showcased hustle all over the court.

Realistically, he can play anywhere from the 2 to the 4 with his ability to shoot on the move and grab tough rebounds. He’s a rare 27-year-old participant of the Summer League. Given that he has exhausted his two-way contract eligibility, he will use this as a chance to show the Hawks and the other 29 teams he deserves a standard contract.

Prepping for Hawks Training Camp

W/F Zaccharie Risacher

Look, the number one overall pick isn’t really in risk of losing his spot. He’s in line to play a prominent role for the Hawks when the regular season tips off regardless of what happens in Vegas. The only question is how Risacher will fit into what the Hawks will scheme for him.

Will coach Nored put the ball in his hands and ask him to run sets? What sorts of off ball actions will he run? How quick will his trigger be from deep? Does he guard a mix of guards and forwards? It should be a fun showcase of his talents of maybe the most unknown top pick in recent NBA history.

G Kobe Bufkin

Bufkin will be looking to improve upon his unsteady performance in Las Vegas from a year ago. He’s projects to start at point guard and have the ball in his hands plenty. I imagine the pro game has slowed down for him at this point in his career with his impressive showing at the back end of his rookie season for the Hawks. And I’m confident the needle will be pointing up after five (or fewer) games in Vegas for him.

F Mouhamed Gueye

Everybody’s favorite Hawks unicorn will be back in action after an injury-riddled rookie season. He may play some 4 and 5 just like Norris will, but he’ll probably operate more on the ball and look for his shot. Here’s to some grab-and-go dunks in transition to set social media ablaze.