Hawks Roll Out Their 800-Possession Starting Five Against the Magic

The Atlanta Hawks are rolling out their official starting five for Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic, and it features CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu.

If you told a basketball fan in 2022 that this exact group would be a top-tier starting unit, they would have assumed you were deep into a chaotic NBA 2K simulation. Yet here we are, and the math actually checks out.

This is not some random mid-week experiment drawn out of a hat. Atlanta has already logged over 800 possessions with this specific five-man crew, earning a top-10 starting lineup ranking from Yahoo Sports in the process.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker is officially good to go after a recent rest day scare. He has been an absolute workhorse lately, logging over 35 minutes a night and dropping 18 points per game during his last extended stretch.

Then there is Dyson Daniels, who spent last season casually challenging an alien named Victor Wembanyama for Defensive Player of the Year. Having an elite perimeter lockdown artist covers up a lot of defensive sins for a backcourt that wants to score.

For anyone staring at the prop markets tonight, this rotation is a rare gift. You know exactly who is getting the usage and the minutes, which feels like a miracle in a league that usually treats Wednesday injury reports like classified state secrets.

The Hawks are coming off a game where they hung 135 points on the Dallas Mavericks. We will see if this established starting five can keep the offensive fireworks going in Orlando before they pack up and head to face the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.