Brad Rowland here, the host of the daily Locked On Hawks podcast, with your daily Locked On Hawks newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Hawks and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
Sacramento’s only visit to Atlanta
Jan 22, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) drives to the basket against Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports|Sergio Estrada/Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
The Atlanta Hawks will aim to stop a three-game losing streak on Friday when the Sacramento Kings come to town. Here are three storylines to monitor.
The 2025 NBA Draft
It’s early to be thinking about the 2025 draft, but Friday marks the only visit to Atlanta for the Kings. Why is that relevant? Well, the Kings owe a top-12 protected draft pick to the Hawks in 2025.
In short, the Hawks want the Kings to be good this season, but also not too good. The best-case scenario for Atlanta would be Sacramento landing in the play-in mix and sending a pick in the mid-teens to the Hawks.
Of course, the Hawks don’t want the Kings to beat them on November 1, but in a way, a loss wouldn’t be quite as damaging as it would be in any other circumstance.
The injury issues persist for the Hawks
Atlanta fell apart in the second half on Wednesday, losing a third straight game overall and a second straight game to Washington. While the team did not play well, the Hawks were also operating with a rather dismal roster situation. Unfortunately, nothing projects to change for Friday.
Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring), Kobe Bufkin (shoulder), and Vit Krejci (adductor) are out for a while. Seth Lundy and Dom Barlow are both assigned to the College Park Skyhawks at the time of this newsletter’s filing, and both have dealt with injuries of their own.
And, on Friday, both Dyson Daniels (hip) and De’Andre Hunter (knee) are out again. Daniels is officially listed as day-to-day, but Hunter’s situation is more murky. This is his fourth straight absence and, unlike the first three games, he was ruled out more than 24 hours before tipoff.
David Roddy’s future
The Hawks formally exercised team options on Daniels and Bufkin ahead of an October 31 deadline. However, they did not pick up Roddy’s fourth-year option, making him a free agent this summer.
That does not guarantee that Roddy will go elsewhere, as he could still sign with the Hawks. But the price tag of approximately $4.8 million proved to be too lofty for the Hawks given Roddy’s situation. For what it’s worth, that was widely seen as the expected decision, and it is a logical one, even as Roddy is thrust into regular duty with Atlanta’s injury situation.
As someone who just celebrated a birthday — a milestone birthday — I’ll admit that aging has been on my mind. Its privileges, its gifts, its expectations and assumptions (especially for women), aging can feel overwhelming, particularly wrought, even if you’ve made relative peace through the years with it.
Much of my writing is concerned with the nuances around basketball and its athletes, particularly the elements that underscore them as people. Strange to call “humanity” a nuance, but that can be the flattening of pro sports. Athletes aging is something larger fandom is pretty bad at processing, to the point where, in the NBA, anyone over 28 is considered long in the tooth and anyone over 35, ancient. The churn of the Draft, with its college phenoms and untapped prospects, makes it so we have a continually replenishing assembly line of young athletes ready to oust the old, often in a way that we don’t actually witness. Very few NBA athletes announce their retirements or make their exits from the league public, they just sort of… vanish, and with them goes our public consciousness of them.
In his postgame presser on Wednesday night, after the Warriors had beat the Pelicans for the second time on a two day back-to-back, Draymond Green touched on aging. Well, not explicitly, but his lengthy answer when asked about his impactful defensive efforts throughout Golden State’s first five contests was telling. Namely, because he brought up two of the youngest centers in the league, Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Home and Away
Preview The Hawks host the Kings tonight at 7:30 p.m. Check out the game preview and how to tune in. (The Sacramento Bee)
Ranked The Ringer ranked how “all-in” each NBA team is based on their draft score and money score. The Hawks came in the middle of the pack at No. 14. (The Ringer)
Must Watch Every NBA player knows about The Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City. Pablo Torre needed to know more, so he sent two reporters out to stay at what’s dubbed OKC’s “most haunted hotel.”
Feel Good They’re all kids at heart. Check out how players from around the league celebrated Halloween. (ESPN)
Must Read Pure talent, or being good in the room? Inc. looks at how certain personality types are affecting roster decisions in the league.
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Paolo Banchero Injured - The Fantasy Basketball Fallout
Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams (44) defends Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the second half at United Center.|Photo by David Banks-Imagn Images
As we dive into the latest NBA action, the fantasy landscape is ever-changing, with injuries and unexpected performances shaping our strategies. The recent news of Paolo Banchero’s injury is a significant blow for both the Orlando Magic and fantasy managers. Banchero is set to miss four to six weeks due to a torn abdominal muscle, which means a reevaluation around mid-December. This absence leaves a gaping hole in the Magic’s lineup, and the question remains: who will step up?
Orlando Magic’s Lineup Dilemma
The obvious choice might be Jonathan Isaac, but his limited minutes due to health concerns make this uncertain. Isaac’s potential is undeniable, yet his ability to sustain a starting role is questionable. Mo Wagner has been suggested as a possible fill-in, but his experience at power forward is limited. The Magic might opt for a more unconventional approach, possibly pushing Franz Wagner to the four and utilizing a three-guard lineup with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jalen Suggs, and Anthony Black. Black, although not a high scorer, could contribute across various categories, making him a viable fantasy consideration.
The situation is fluid, and while Wendell Carter Jr. should be a priority add if available, the rest of the lineup remains a puzzle. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on the Magic’s rotations in the coming games to identify any emerging trends.
Click the button below to see who should be on your waiver radar, plus the fantasy impact of Desmond Bane’s injury for Memphis.
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Hawks podcasts.
Shooting nightmare sends Hawks to loss in San Francisco The show focuses on Wednesday’s game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Golden State Warriors, including Atlanta’s clean injury report, a shooting nightmare for the Hawks, encouraging defense, a total collapse at the end of the first half, and much more.
Hawks bounce back with roller coaster win over Kings The show focuses on Monday’s game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Sacramento Kings, including the surprise absence of Jalen Johnson, the return of Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kobe Bufkin, a lights-out start, a three-point shooting barrage by Sacramento, De’Andre Hunter’s strong play, Trae Young’s passing brilliance, Dyson Daniels sealing the game, and much more.
Third quarter disaster, turnover issues doom Hawks in road loss to Blazers The show focuses on Sunday’s game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Portland Trail Blazers, headlined by a disastrous third quarter and widespread turnover issues for Atlanta. Topics also include rough late-game execution, defensive rebounding problems, the return of Vit Krejci, and much more.
