Hawks Face Guard and Frontcourt Shortages Against Pacers

On November 1, the NBA handed Atlanta Hawks rookie guard Kingston Flemings a one-game suspension without pay for striking New Orleans Pelicans guard Bryce McGowens across the face in Saturday’s game. Flemings will serve the suspension when the Hawks visit the Indiana Pacers on November 2.

The incident came with 3:04 left in the fourth quarter of New Orleans’ win. Officials assessed Flemings a flagrant 2 foul and ejected him. Before leaving, he had recorded 12 points, along with six assists, four steals and two rebounds.

The suspension adds to Atlanta’s availability concerns. Jalen Johnson had a questionable designation, while Jock Landale, Mouhamed Gueye and Henri Veesaar were unavailable. Flemings, the Hawks’ only true point guard, had been playing well: in seven games he averaged 7.1 points, 4.7 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 20.3 minutes. He scored 23 points with five assists and five rebounds against Miami last Wednesday.

Aaron Wiggins could take on more minutes, while two-way guard RayJ Dennis may make his first regular-season appearance. In the frontcourt, Landale’s absence could create more playing time for second-year forward Asa Newell, who scored 13 points and grabbed four rebounds in more than 18 minutes on Saturday after Landale was hurt.

If Johnson is available, rookie center Zuby Ejiofor could also be considered for his first minutes of the season. Atlanta could use Dorian Finney-Smith as a small-ball center, though he has seen limited action with the team.