The Atlanta Hawks will face the Indiana Pacers in their preseason opener at State Farm Arena on October 8th.

We know (for now) who’s on the Hawks’ roster, but where and when is less clear.

Three-time All-Star Trae Young and fourth-year star forward Jalen Johnson appear to be the only players in the starting lineup, meaning there may still be three spots up for grabs in the preseason. However, familiarity may be the best approach to begin with.

Hawks depth chart projection for preseason opener against Pacers

Trae Young/Dyson Daniels/De’Andre Hunter/Jalen Johnson/Clint Capela

Trae Young and Jalen Johnson are locked into the starting lineup, but every other spot appears to have remained open due to the Hawks’ offseason moves and, in some cases, lack thereof.

Centers Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu fall into the latter category, with Hawks head coach Quin Snyder deftly avoiding a question about the latter’s chances of usurping the former in the starting lineup.

Capela is expected to take over the starting position for the time being.

The same goes for De’Andre Hunter, although his hold on the job is even more tenuous than Capela’s, if it exists at all.

The Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and it appears to be more a question of when rather than (at least) whether the rookie will take over a starting spot.

Hunter’s is the most logical for Risacher. But Risacher could also start as a shooting guard.

For now, Daniels, the more proven player, gets the No. 1 spot and promises to give a strong perimeter defense a chance to showcase his skills during the Olympic Games is translated into the NBA.

Kobe Bufkin/Bogdan Bogdanovic/Zaccharie Risacher/Larry Nance Jr./Onyeka Okongwu
Vit Krejci/Garrison Mathews/Seth Lundy/David Roddy/Mouhamed Gueye

Snyder and the Hawks won’t play 15-deep on a regular basis, even in the preseason. But it makes sense for everyone to do some running in the game to create a baseline for the rest of the preseason.

Bogdan Bogdanovic and Okyeka Okongwu will most likely be the first two players off the bench. The order depends on the situation and who needs to be replaced.

Bogdanovic could also be an integral part of the final line-up next season.

Obviously, Risacher and Larry Nance will get plenty of opportunities. But there could be a strong mix and match in the second group of substitutes. Garrison Mathews and Vit Krejci are the best on this team, although the Hawks rely on David Roddy.

Mouhamed Gueye and Seth Lundy are both promising candidates. However, so far they have been plagued by injuries.

Keaton Wallace/Kevon Harris/Daeqwon Plowden/Dominick Barlow/Tony Bradley

The two-way players have their place. However, it’s not easy to imagine anyone from this group making the final 18-man roster (15 standard contracts, three two-way contracts) for the regular season.