Rookie Kingston Flemings Set for First Hawks Start

Kingston Flemings was set to make his first NBA start as the Atlanta Hawks faced the Washington Wizards in the nation’s capital on November 4. The rookie was named in place of CJ McCollum, who had been a regular starter for Atlanta since last season. Flemings was also returning from a suspension.

Johnson was expected to miss a second straight game because of an ankle injury. Lu Dort was again in the starting group after replacing Johnson in Monday’s game against the Indiana Pacers. Dort scored 14 points on four-for-six shooting from three-point range in that game and posted a team-best plus-11 while on the floor.

The Hawks’ listed starting five included Flemings, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu, although the report also said Johnson was out. Atlanta’s reserves were again expected to shoulder added responsibility with Johnson and Jock Landale unavailable. Asa Newell, who scored no points in 17 minutes against Indiana, and Zuby Ejiofor were likely to handle backup frontcourt minutes.

Aaron Wiggins was also expected to feature. Corey Kispert, facing his former team, could receive playing time after making four three-pointers on Monday, despite struggling defensively. Atlanta entered the matchup seeking a second consecutive win and a record above .500. The report highlighted the challenge of containing Washington’s interior attack, including Anthony Davis.