It has not been the start that the Atlanta Hawks had hoped for after their big offseason.
Atlanta began the season with a 20 point loss to the Raptors and followed it up with a gritty win over the Magic on the road before coming back home and losing by 17 points to Oklahoma City Thunder. Now, last night’s game was a tough spot for the Hawks due to being on a back-to-back against the best team in the league and they were missing three starters, Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher, and Kristaps Porzingis.
With the first week of the season behind us, here are three thoughts from the first three games.
Oct 24, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye (18) dunks during the second quarter against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images / Mike Watters-Imagn Images
During the preseason and in the first game of the regular season, Atlanta stuck to their rotation of Johnson, Porzingis, and Onyeka Okongwu in the frontcourt and third year forward Mouhamed Gueye did not see many minutes. With the injuries over the past couple of nights, Gueye has had to play a major role and has been awesome at doing so.
In the win over Orlando, Gueye played 30 minutes, scoring 13 points and grabbing eight rebounds. He was all over the floor defensively and the Hawks defense is much better when he is one the floor.
In last night’s loss to Oklahoma City, Gueye scored 11 points, grabbed six rebounds, and blocked two shots in 23 minutes.
There is still plenty to work on with Gueye on offense, but he brings a lot to the floor on defense and should see regular minutes going forward.
It has been a tough first week for Kennard.
Kennard was brought on to help with the Hawks shooting, as he is one of the best three point shooters in league history, but it has not gone like the Hawks had hoped.
Kennard is 2-9 from three in his first three games, but it is not his lack of makes that is the biggest problems, it is the lack of attempts. Kennard has to shoot the ball more and it has been something that even he and head coach Quin Snyder have talked about:
Luke Kennard has just 9 3PA through 3 games played (~8% of ATL’s total 3P volume)
Here’s Quin’s full answer to my question about how Luke has been utilized in the offense so far https://t.co/t5jy11KGt6 pic.twitter.com/JSvFA9dNYx
— David Lee (@dlee4three) October 26, 2025
It is not fair to judge anyone after three games and hopefully for the Hawks Kennard begins to let it fly and help out the offense.
Oct 25, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) is defended by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
There is a long way to go in this season for the Hawks. Yes, they were talked about as one of the most improved teams in the league and it has not been the start anyone has hoped for, but it is not time to panic.
First, Atlanta has missed Zaccharie Risacher and Kristaps Porzingis for two of their three games. Second, it is going to take time for this team to gel with all of the newcomers they have. Third, they have faced a tough start to the season. Facing Toronto then Orlando and Oklahoma City on a back-to-back is tough for any team in the league.
Hopefully the Hawks can get healthy and mold into the team that we thought they could be.