When the Atlanta Hawks drafted Kingston Flemings with the No. 8 overall pick, they were hoping that he would be their point guard of the future and a potential star player to add to an already talented young core. He was going to be an upgrade over Gabe Vincent as the backup point guard, learn behind CJ McCollum for a season, and, if everything went right, be ready to start next season.

While it is still early in the season, it might be time to at least open the conversation about why Flemings should start. He will need to put together more consistent performances, but Flemings is showing all the positives that made Atlanta want to draft him, and if he keeps this up, I think that Flemings is going to be in the starting lineup.

Flemings strong start

Flemings numbers are not going to leap off the screen and yell starter at you, but if you watch how he plays with the bench unit and with some of the other starters, you could make the argument that he is one of the top two ball handlers on the team already.

So far this season, Flemings is averaging 6.3 PPG, 4.5 APG, and 3.0 RPG on 47% shooting from the field, 36% from three, and 52.4% true shooting percentage. Again, those numbers are not going to wow anyone, and I think he is going to have to put up more nights as he did against the Miami Heat (23 points, five assists, five rebounds, 9-for-12 shooting) before this becomes a real debate point, but that game against Miami showed what he can do when he shoots more often and can lead the offense.

The main argument for starting Flemings over McCollum is going to be his ability to pass the ball and set up his teammates. For some of the things that McCollum does well, he is not a high-level pass or shot creator. It is not just him, though. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, and Onyeka Okongwu are not elite either, and that is why Jalen Johnson has to carry a large ball-handling responsibility, which can also effect his ability to defend on the other end.

Some notable stats (courtesy of hoopsjunkie) that show Flemings impact on the floor:

• +0.3EFG%
• +4.7OREB%
• +1.9REB%
• +4.6 AST%
• +3.2BLK%

The assist percentage is what jumps out the most. Flemings is outperforming McCollum in that area and the numbers bear that out when McCollum is on the floor:

• -0.3EFG%
• -7.7OREB%
• -2.9REB%
• -2.8AST%
• -3.3BLK%

The Hawks are better in all of those categories when Flemings is on the floor and that is going to be worth tracking over the next few weeks.

I don't expect to see a lineup change made soon. McCollum is a veteran, and he is not a complete disaster night in and night out for Atlanta, but last night's 1-for-8 shooting night with four turnovers against the Cavaliers, coupled with Flemings performance on Wednesday against Miami, better passing numbers, and the fact that I think Flemings starting would make the others around him better because of the responsibility that he would take off their shoulders.

The future at point guard could be coming sooner rather than later for the Hawks if this week is any indication.