The Eastern Conference is scary, but Atlanta Hawks wing Corey Kispert has confidence in his team.
Atlanta Hawks wing Corey Kispert is heading into his first full season with the team after being acquired via trade during the 2025-26 campaign.
The Hawks made the playoffs last season with Kispert and gave the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks a decent scare in the first round, but they were ultimately eliminated in six games. Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference has gotten stronger this offseason, with a number of teams seen as potential threats to make the NBA Finals.
But the Hawks seem to like what they have. Kispert shared that the team feels like it can stand "toe to toe" with the best the Eastern Conference has to offer.
“I definitely feel like we’re a more complete team (going into the 2026-27 season),” Kispert said, via the Spokesman-Review. “There’s a lot of buzz coming out of Philly, Miami, Boston and New York, but we definitely feel we can stand toe to toe.”
Kispert added that he's looking forward to having a full training camp and full season with the Hawks this time around.
“The fit is really good," he said. "The main thing is I wish I had a full training camp and full season (with the Hawks). The chemistry you need to learn and the camaraderie you get during a full season – getting thrown in the middle of it is something everyone has to get used to. Coach [Quin] Snyder and I see the game the same way. We have a lot of younger, talented guys that are easy to get along with, so I’m excited for a full year and training camp.”
After coming over via trade last season, Kispert appeared in 39 games for the Hawks and made eight starts in the regular season. He averaged 9.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from long range.
He briefly fell out of the rotation near the end of the regular season, perhaps due to a low 3-point shooting percentage (32.6) in his first 35 appearances with the team. He started to find his stroke again over the final few games as the postseason neared, but it wasn't enough to secure a big role in the playoffs.
Now, he'll look to put it all together in his first full season with Atlanta after spending nearly five seasons with the Washington Wizards. He had a huge game against Washington last season following the trade in which he dropped 33 points.
Kispert can certainly provide some value from the perimeter when his shots are falling, as he's a career 38.0 percent shooter from deep and had one season during his Wizards tenure in which he knocked down 42.4 percent of his triples.
The No. 15 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Kispert is under club control through the 2028-29 season, so if he proves that he can play a key role, the Hawks could keep him around for a while. But with all the shuffling that has happened in Atlanta dating back to the trade deadline last season, the 27-year-old maybe shouldn't get too comfortable.
Hopefully, a full camp and season with the team will help Kispert put together a nice year as the Hawks aim to return to the playoffs and show the rest of the Eastern Conference that they can indeed stand toe to toe.
