Rookies Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor making early statements for the Hawks

The Hawks didn’t make the big splash this offseason some hoped for. Instead, they opted to improve on the margins, strengthening their depth with the additions of Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort, both of whom have been fantastic contributors through the first couple weeks of the season. But if this team was ever going to make some serious noise, they were going to need something special from their two first-round picks, Kingston Flemings and Zuby Ejiofor.

As the 8th overall pick in a draft class many believe could go down as historic, Flemings comes to Atlanta with especially high expectations. He was a star at Houston as a freshman but didn’t play the flashy brand of basketball that defined much of the rest of the top 10. His calling cards were defense, maturity, and the ability to command an offense. He rarely turns the ball over and possesses elite passing skills.

All of that has been on display early for the Hawks, but Flemings is also quickly proving he’s more than capable offensively — the part of his game that was always going to decide his ceiling at the next level. In the Hawks’ 120-105 win over the Wizards, Flemings was in the starting lineup, going 6-for-9 from the field, including 2-for-2 from behind the arc, for 14 points to go along with four assists over 23 minutes.

On the season, he’s averaging just 8.0 points per game but is shooting it at over a 50% clip from the field and knocking down nearly half of his three-pointers. He’s also putting up nearly five assists per game in just 21 minutes, while doing a commendable job avoiding turnovers. The game already isn’t too fast for Flemings, and we’re not even 10 games into his rookie campaign. By April of next year, we could be talking about him as one of Atlanta’s best players.

Zuby Ejiofor’s first season isn’t off to quite the same start, but that was never expected for someone who was a late first-round pick. However, his performance against the Wizards on Wednesday will surely garner him some more minutes moving forward, even when everyone is healthy. In just 17 minutes, he racked up 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Ejiofor is a ball of energy who can impact the game in every phase. He gets after it defensively, crashes the boards relentlessly, and has impressive hands for somebody his size. That’s exactly what made him so valued at St. John’s and a first-round pick despite not being particularly great in any one area. Every NBA team needs winning players like that, especially come playoff time, and with a few more performances like Wednesday’s, Ejiofor will find himself a regular in the Hawks’ rotation.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire