Atlanta Hawks Should Give RayJ Dennis a Close Look Amid Strong G League Season

The Atlanta Hawks traded perhaps the most dynamic guard in their franchise history, Trae Young.

It was a bold decision. It was also the right decision. The Hawks seemed capped with Young on the roster. They were only going to go so far. Now, it's time for them to usher in a new era.

That said, they still want dynamic backcourt play. CJ McCollum brings veteran scoring and playmaking, and Corey Kispert adds movement shooting, but neither offers the same on‑ball electricity Young did at his peak.

Dyson Daniels is fun, but he's closer to a wing. Nickeil Alexander‑Walker’s emergence has been impressive, but he's only one man. In time, the Hawks will need to find a long‑term answer at guard.

Could they do it with RayJ Dennis?

Yes, we are talking about this because of Dennis’ recent G League heater.

He just dropped a remarkable 47 points with Atlanta's G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, setting a franchise scoring record. In that game, Dennis went off for 47 points on 16‑of‑24 shooting, 5‑of‑7 from three, and 5‑of‑6 from the line, adding 11 assists, 4 rebounds, and a steal in 41 minutes.

That wasn’t a one‑off. Dennis has been statistically productive all year.

For the season, he’s averaging right around the low‑to‑mid‑20s in points and double‑digit assists for the Skyhawks, with several explosions in the mid‑40s and a recent triple‑double. One stretch included games of 46 points, a triple‑double, and then the 47‑point night that put him in the Skyhawks’ record books. Those are, dare we say it, Trae Young numbers for a G League context.

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Dennis also bears some stylistic similarities to his forebearer. He’s a gifted pick‑and‑roll guard who can shoot off the bounce, use his deft ball‑handling to get downhill, and make the right passing read when it's called for. The efficiency is encouraging: mid‑40s from the field and high‑30s from three over his G League sample, while living in double‑digit assists. He’s been one of the most productive G League guards this season.

Can he cut it in the big leagues?

Let's dial it back for a second.

The G League is not the NBA. We've seen guards put up massive counting stats at the lower level before, only to struggle to stick in a rotation. That could be the case for Dennis. He’s already gotten a taste of the league: Atlanta recalled him from College Park, and he has logged limited NBA minutes on his deal, showing flashes but also the expected inconsistency for a rookie guard.

It’s worth noting another similarity he bears to Young: he's small. Dennis is listed at 6'2" and 180 pounds, which still puts him in “undersized guard” territory.​That was a central concern with Young as well. The Hawks may be hesitant to build around another small primary creator.

They shouldn't be.

The suggestion of a Trae Young replacement is clearly hyperbolic. That's putting the cart before the horse. That said, when a guy is giving you roughly 24 and 10 in the G League, with efficient shooting and multiple monster games on the board, it makes for an easy decision: you call him up and see what happens.

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Dennis is intriguing. He's clearly talented. He's almost certainly not going to replace Trae Young. That said, he could be a spark plug off the bench who brings pace, pick‑and‑roll creation, and shooting to Atlanta’s second unit.

As the Hawks reshape this roster around Jalen Johnson and their cadre of big wings, they'll need complementary guards who can bend a defense without needing star usage. It's absolutely worth finding out if Dennis can be one of those contributors.

Who knows how good he could be?