The Atlanta Hawks are finally back - and this time, it counts.
Tipping off the season is always exciting, but tonight's matchup against another playoff hopeful in the Orlando Magic, is a fun test for the Hawks on the first night. Atlanta swept all four games last season, and they'll have an opportunity to extend that win streak to five tonight. However, it won't be easy.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are both formidable scorers when they're on. Wagner is the more versatile of the two, and Orlando has made more efforts to run the offense through him this summer, which has generally worked well. They've also got a solid supporting cast of Jalen Suggs hounding opposing ball-handlers on the perimeter, Wendell Carter Jr. spacing the floor as a center, and rising young guard Anthony Black in the backcourt (although Black won't play tonight).
However, this Atlanta team got a lot deeper in the offseason with the additions of Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Kingston Flemings. If they can repeat their production from last year, CJ McCollum and Jock Landale seem like strong bets to carve out indispensable roles in the rotation as the third starting guard and backup center, respectively.
I expect this game to be extremely physical and defensively-oriented, but it will come dow to who can make the last few shots to put themselves over the edge. Regardless, it'll be an excellent first assessment for the Hawks as they attempt to go back to the postseason.
Game Preview
Paolo vs JJ
Paolo Banchero's rookie max contract kicks in this season, and it's a big year for him. The 23-year-old forward had a disappointing season in 2025-26, shooting a measly 30.5% from deep on 3.8 attempts a night. He did shoot a career-high 56.6% and upped his assists to 5.2 per game while grabbing a career-high 8.4 rebounds a night.
However, Orlando's defense was surprisingly slightly better (+1.0 points in defensive rating swing) without him on the floor. He didn't make much of an impact on defense last season.
Nevertheless, he's been a great defender on Jalen Johnson. Over the past three seasons, Banchero has held Johnson to 11.6 points, 2.8 assists, and 3.6 turnovers per 75 minutes on 187 possessions. He held JJ to 9.6 points on 57.1 TS% last season, so this is a good measuring stick for Johnson to show his progress over the summer against a physical defender who's given him trouble in the past.
Searching For Spacing
Last season, Orlando was 4th in three-point attempts conceded and 3rd in three-point makes conceded per game. This is a very fundamentally strong perimeter defense, and I'm interested to see how Nickeil Alexander-Walker fares if Franz Wagner or Jalen Suggs are chasing him around the whole game. It's going to be critical for Atlanta's crew of guards and bench shooters to make an impact.
It will be interesting to see what sparks Kingston Flemings and Aaron Wiggins can bring off the bench. Flemings hasn't really been a quality spacer in the preseason, but his processing speed is exceptional, and he could be a huge part of the Hawks generating quality looks. Wiggins showed a ton of potential as an end-of-bench offensive option through the preseason - does that translate to tonight?
Peachtree Pace
Obviously, the Hawks played at a very high pace last season due to their prowess in transition. They averaged the third-most points on fast-break opportunities and points off of turnovers. Adding Dort, who's historically been a good defender, to force more turnovers should only improve their ability to lean into this during the regular season.
Atlanta's fast-paced identity might prove to be a legitimate advantage against a Magic team that conceded the eighth-highest amount of points on the fast break. However, Orlando does a good job of getting back after turnovers, and they gave up the eighth-fewest points off of turnovers. That being said, they may have some early rustiness in their defensive rotations and communication that Atlanta's pace could exploit.
How to Watch
Today's game will be at the Kia Center in Orlando and can be seen on Atlanta News First, Peachtree Sports Network, and Prime Video.
Injury Report
Mo Gueye (left foot) and Henri Veesaar (right ACL) are both out for tonight. Anthony Black and Noah Penda are out for Orlando.
Projected Starters
Hawks
G - CJ McCollum
G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker
G/F - Dyson Daniels
F - Jalen Johnson
C - Onyeka Okongwu
Magic
G - Jalen Suggs
G - Desmond Bane
G - Franz Wagner
F - Paolo Banchero
C - Wendell Carter Jr
Add us as a preferred source on Google