NBA Southeast Division Rotation and Roster Battles

Keith Smith
Keith Smith, Resident NBA ExpertOctober 14, 2024
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#nba #southeast division #atlanta hawks #charlotte hornets #miami heat #orlando magic #washington wizards
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NBA teams are fully in preseason mode, with the regular season about a week away.

NBA preseason doesn’t come with the excitement of NFL camp or MLB preseason. Nor does it come with the competition for roster spots. Smaller rosters and more guaranteed money mean that NBA squads are generally set when camp opens.

However, all across the league battles for rotation spots are playing out out. Incumbents are trying to hold off newcomers. Young players are trying to break through. Vets are trying to hang on for one more season. In some cases, there are roster spots up for grabs too.

We’re going to going team by team and look some of the most interesting battles to monitor as we close in on the regular season. We previously covered the Southwest Division,  Northwest Division and Pacific Division. Now, we head east for the Southeast Division teams!

Atlanta Hawks

Wing Rotation

The Hawks aren’t really rebuilding, but resetting. And Atlanta is attempting to do so on the fly. Nowhere on the roster is more of a work in progress than the wing rotation.

It looks like De’Andre Hunter and Jalen Johnson will start at the two forward spots as interchangeable players. The shooting guard spot is a three-way competition between veteran Bogdan Bogdanovic, first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels.

If those five guys aren’t enough, Vit Krejci is firmly in the mix for regular minutes, as is shooting specialist Garrison Mathews. And Larry Nance Jr. will figure into the four/five rotation, which may push down other players to more minutes at the three.

None of this is bad. The Hawks are in a good spot to have players earn their minutes. Johnson is the best of this bunch, as he’s already shown he’s a long-term part of Atlanta’s future. Bogdanovic is the next most proven. The question for him is if he should be coming off the bench or starting. As a reserve, Bogdanovic is a potential Sixth Man of the Year. It also should help Quin Snyder manage minutes for the veteran a bit more.

Risacher has looked better in the preseason than he did in Summer League, which is exciting. He’s got the potential for rapid improvement and he’s going to play plenty. Daniels gives the Hawks a nice big guard option alongside Trae Young, but his lack of a consistent jumper is still holding him back somewhat.

Snyder is going to have make some tough decisions as long as everyone is healthy. Bet on Johnson, Bogdanovic, Risacher, Hunter and Daniels all playing plenty. The others may have to wait until an injury, or a trade, opens up more minutes.

Charlotte Hornets

Wing/Guard Rotation

All of a sudden, the Hornets have an abundance of quality at the wing/guard positions. The emergence of young players, players returning to good health and acquisitions over the last year has given new head coach Charles Lee some rotation decisions to make.

LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are locks to start. They are Charlotte’s building blocks and both look ready to have big seasons. Around them, there are more questions, but instead of a bunch of not-great options, the Hornets have talented players to choose from.

Josh Green came over in a multi-team trade as a salary-dump this summer. Green can play though. If he can hit open shots and defend, Green could be in the mix to start in between Ball and Miller as a 3&D wing.

Off the bench, Cody Martin is hoping for a healthier season than last year. Unfortunately, a wrist and finger injury have him a bit behind as the regular season approaches. If he can get right, Martin will be a rotation player as a wing option.

Of true guards, Vasilije Micic has the inside track to be the backup point guard. The veteran is a stabilizing player for bench units, and a good option should Ball miss more time. Tre Mann got his career on track after last season’s trade to the Hornets. He’s an undersized scoring guard, but those players have long histories as productive bench players.

Rookie first-round Tidjane Salaun looks more ready to contribute right away than expected. He’s going to force his way into some regular wing minutes. Veteran guard Seth Curry is back for some bench shooting, while second-year guard Nick Smith Jr. faces an uphill battle for a rotation spot.

As a rookie head coach, Lee has some talented players to choose from in this group. This is still a rebuilding season for the Hornets, but they’re closer to the “push forward” side of the rebuild, as opposed to the “getting started” portion. This group is a big part of why Charlotte could potential compete for a spot in the Play-In Tournament this season.

Miami Heat

Backup Point Guard

The Heat roster is fairly well settled. Well, so long as everyone is healthy. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier III and Nikola Jovic seem likely to start. Duncan Robinson, Jaime Jaquez Jr, Haywood Highsmith, Kevin Love and rookie Kel’el Ware will see time off the bench.

That leaves the only uncertain spot as backup point guard. Josh Richardson will probably fill that role when he’s fully healthy. Richardson has been a bit hit or miss as the primary floor leader, but the Heat have enough other playmakers that it should be fine.

Veteran Alec Burks will probably figure into the mix, as well. Burks isn’t a traditional point guard, but he’s a solid enough ball-mover that he can fill the role. Again, like with Richardson, Miami should have other playmakers out there to ease that burden.

If the veterans aren’t working out, keep an eye on rookie Pelle Larsson. He’s got a knack for passing and he’s a pretty solid spot-up shooter too. Don’t be surprised if he breaks through late in the year.

Orlando Magic

Two-Way Spots

For a young team, the Magic have a lot of roster continuity. The only major rotation change is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope took the place of Markelle Fultz. That leaves Jamahl Mosley with a bit of a crowded guard group, but that will work itself out throughout the season.

With terrific frontcourt depth, and solid wing depth, there isn’t a whole lot up in the air for Orlando’s rotation right now. Where the intrigue comes in for the Magic is with their two-way spots.

Trevelin Queen has one spot locked in. The other two have been subject to a camp-long competition. Mac McClung could snag one, as he’s been wildly productive on the G League level. Jalen Slawson could grab the third spot, as he’s a wing with a little bit of size. Ethan Thompson and Robert Baker II are also in the mix, as Thompson is a big guard and Baker is a combo forward.

Despite not having competition for spots on the standard roster, Orlando has had a competitive camp with this two-way battle. That’s solid work by the Magic front office to manufacture some spirited play down the roster.

Washington Wizards

Play the Kids or Play the Vets?

The Wizards are still in “deconstruction phase” per general manager Will Dawkins. That means there’s still a lot of roster-tinkering to come in Washington.

Despite that, the Wizards aren’t going full youth movement yet. Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole are still around. And in the last year, the team added Malcolm Brogdon, Jonas Valanciunas and Marvin Bagley III. That’s a fairly solid veteran group to eat up a lot of regular season minutes.

Behind that group, there are a bunch of kids who are going to push for minutes. Bilal Coulibaly is hitting Year 2 looking like a starter. Corey Kispert is starting Year 4 as a regular rotation player. The 2024 NBA Draft brought Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George into the mix.

Brian Keefe is now the full-time head coach, after having the interim tag removed this summer. He’s not going to be challenged with winning games, at least not yet. But Keefe is going to have to find the balance of keeping the team competitive by playing the veterans, while developing the kids who are the Wizards future. At some point, the latter will become priority. The question is: How quickly will that happen?

 


#nba #southeast division #atlanta hawks #charlotte hornets #miami heat #orlando magic #washington wizards
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