Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kingston Flemings and Jalen Johnson are the three Atlanta Hawks with the most to prove entering 2026-27.
As a team, the Atlanta Hawks will have plenty to prove in 2026-27. Still, three members of the team have more to prove than any other.
As a whole, the Hawks will look to prove that the second half of their 2025-26 season was no fluke. The Hawks looked like one of the best teams in the NBA during that stretch. In the playoffs, they had the unfortunate luck of drawing the eventual championship-winning New York Knicks in the first round.
It feels like they could have beaten anyone else, but they'll need to prove it. If they're going to do so, these three players will have to prove the most.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
The NBA's reigning Most Improved Player always enters the season with plenty to prove.
Alexander-Walker will be no exception. In 2025-26, his points per game leaped from 9.4 to 20.8 per game. Once regarded as a pure three-and-D wing, Alexander-Walker showed the world that he had some shot creation in his bag.
Now, he needs to show that his new level of production is sustainable.
It's fine if his points per game dip somewhat. The Hawks are deep. Still, the team will need Alexander-Walker to be able to create his own opportunities as he did last season:
And he'll want to prove that he still can.
Kingston Flemings
By contrast, some will argue that a rookie has nothing to prove other than that they belong in the NBA. Perhaps that's typically true:
But Flemings' case is a bit different.
During Summer League play, Flemings had some difficulty scoring. The competition level is only going to get higher. So, the Hawks will want him to prove that he can get a bucket at the NBA level.
He has plenty of other NBA-level skills. Flemings will inevitably be a strong defender, and he has great passing chops. Those are valuable skills, but if he can't get a bucket, it may be difficult for him to leverage them consistently:
If he can prove his ability to score, they'll pay dividends.
Jalen Johnson
Finally, the best player on any NBA team always has plenty to prove.
Johnson will want to prove that he can lead a championship contender. He can do that by leading the Hawks through a deep playoff run. The most important point he could prove won't be available to him until later in the year.
In the meantime, he can prove that he's a perennial All-NBA quality player. It would be nice if he could also prove that he's able to improve his jumper in a single offseason.
If he can do that, the Hawks should prove that they are who they appeared to be in the second half of 2025-26.
