The Atlanta Hawks lost their Summer League opener to the Utah Jazz in overtime, but stats from Kingston Flemings and Zuby Ejiofor offer optimism for Atlanta.
The Atlanta Hawks fell to the Utah Jazz, 103-102, in overtime in their 2026 Salt Lake City Summer League opener on Saturday, and there's little reason for Atlanta to be discouraged.
Summer League games rarely hinge on wins and losses. They're about indicators, and fans should be watching for signs of how a young roster projects once games start counting in the standings. A one-point loss in an exhibition setting carries little weight against that backdrop, and the Hawks gave their fans plenty to like in Saturday's opener.
Here are three stats worth watching.
1. Kingston Flemings' 9 assists
Flemings didn't have a clean stat line. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft finished 4-of-16 from the field for 14 points, a rough shooting night by any measure. He made up for it elsewhere, dishing out 9 assists to go with 4 steals and just 1 turnover in 28 minutes.
The shooting needs work, but the Houston product flashed the playmaking instincts that made him a first-round pick. It was his first competitive game since Houston's season ended in the NCAA Tournament, and one bad shooting night is no reason to worry about his long-term outlook.
2. Zuby Ejiofor's 11 rebounds
Ejiofor's shooting was rough too, going 2-of-7 from the field for 8 points in his Hawks debut. None of that should surprise anyone. The No. 23 overall pick was billed as raw offensively and relentlessly active, and that's exactly the version of him that showed up Saturday.
His energy showed up in the box score. Ejiofor grabbed 11 rebounds, added 3 steals, and finished at +10 for the game, one of the better marks on Atlanta's roster Saturday. He still needs a reliable way to score, but the effort alone could be enough to carve out real minutes once the regular season arrives, if Saturday's debut was any indication.
3. The Hawks' 17 team steals
Ejiofor's 3 steals were part of something bigger. Atlanta was aggressive in the passing lanes and around ball-handlers all game, finishing with 17 team steals against a Jazz roster that had its own turnover issues.
The approach tracks with how the Hawks played a season ago. Atlanta averaged 9.4 steals per game in 2025-26, fifth-most in the NBA, and Saturday's opener suggested that identity is already carrying over to this group. A single Summer League game rarely tells the full story, but the version of the Hawks that showed up in Salt Lake City looked a lot like the one that took the floor all last season.
