Hawks coach Quin Snyder says a pre-draft Zoom revealed the presence, charisma, and sincerity that made Kingston Flemings a player Atlanta wanted at No. 8.
Atlanta Hawks coach Quin Snyder rarely participates in Zoom calls, but he made an exception for a pre-draft chat with Kingston Flemings. This conversation confirmed Snyder's impression that Flemings would be a good fit and aligned with everything he had learned about the player during the draft process.
The Hawks chose Flemings eighth overall in the NBA Draft, bringing him to Atlanta as a future point guard. Snyder values Flemings' presence as a guard, especially his communication skills.
"He has a presence," Snyder said. "I don't get on Zoom very often, but this one I looked forward to. It was just easy interaction. You can tell by the way he communicates. You can see it when he plays, the way he communicates with his teammates."
Snyder used his friendship with Houston coach Kelvin Sampson to get honest info on the young point guard. All reviews on Flemings were consistent.
"Anytime you hear people speak about Kingston, they're glowing," Snyder said. "It was the charisma and, more than anything else, the sincerity that you appreciate, certainly as a teammate or a coach."
Onsi Saleh described Flemings as a point guard with high-level processing skills who rarely turns the ball over and makes his teammates better. However, the Hawks strongly valued character and decision-making in draft decisions. Saleh said Flemings creates advantages and has another level to reach with NBA spacing.
Flemmings said the conversations he had with the Hawks staff helped convince him the landing spot would be ideal, with the coaching staff being a key factor.
"I had Zoom meetings with some of the coaches, and the coaching staff was also really important to me," Flemings said. "I wanted to go somewhere that could really help me grow as a player, and I think the Hawks are the perfect place for that."
The Hawks did not have to talk themselves into him. Flemings led Houston in scoring, assists, and steals, set the program's freshman scoring record, and made an All-America team, a resume that matched the makeup Snyder heard about secondhand from coaches around the sport.
Snyder said qualities seen in Flemmings on film and in conversations were also visible on the court, describing it as a rare Zoom meeting he was glad to have attended.
It won't be long until the Hawks get a first look at Flemmings in their organization against outside competition with Summer League beginning on July 9 in Las Vegas.
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