The Atlanta Hawks came into this preseason knowing that they had 14 guys who were virtual locks to make the final roster and one more spot open for training camp invitees. Atlanta brought 20 players into camp and have yet to cut anyone but it seems like they are pretty close to making their decision as Lamar Patterson was the only player in the competition to get playing time in their last preseason game which would seem to indicate he is likely to get that spot.
Patterson was a second round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks but was never able to make that team. This summer Patterson played with the Hawks in the summer league and he was extremely impressive which allowed him to latch on with the Hawks for training camp.
A couple of weeks ago, before preseason games had started, a couple of the Hawks star players were asked about the battle for the final roster spot and every one of them brought up Patterson's name, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"Everybody is playing hard. Everybody is playing well. Lamar Patterson is playing well. He's a skill player, making good shot, making good passes, playing good defense," said point guard Jeff Teague.
Head coach Mike Budenholzer seems to be leaning Patterson's direction a few weeks later as well just solely based on playing time in preseason games. Patterson played 18 minutes in the Hawks most recent game against the Miami Heat and although he only scored two points and missed all five of his field goal attempts the fact that he played while the others didn't says a lot.
The other players in the competition with Patterson are Terran Petteway, Earl Barron, DeQuan Jones, Edgar Sosa, and Arsalan Kazemi. Petteway and Patterson signed at the same time this offseason with the Hawks and seemed to be on equal footing heading into camp but Patterson has pulled ahead likely due to his versatility. Patterson's numbers this preseason aren't great but he can do a lot of different things on the floor while Petteway is a scorer and not much else.
Patterson is not a lock to make the team by any means but all signs seem to be pointing in that direction. While it would be a nice step for his pro career it is unlikely that Patterson has a role this season with a Hawks team that expects to compete for an Eastern Conference title again.
