Cj Mccollum will not play Sunday against the Heat after Atlanta ruled him out for rest, and the Hawks will hold out their starters in the regular-season finale after locking into a top-six seed. The decision closes the regular season with Atlanta prioritizing health over one last game that no longer changes its place in the standings.
McCollum appeared in 41 regular-season games for the Hawks, starting 25, and averaged 18.7 points, 4.1 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 28.8 minutes. His midseason arrival, paired with Jalen Johnson’s rise, gave Atlanta a combination that worked well enough to help carry the team into the playoffs for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
That success came with an important caveat: McCollum was not brought in as a direct replacement for Trae Young, who is listed with quadriceps and back issues. Even so, Atlanta found a workable balance in the second half of the season, and the finale against Miami now serves as a reset rather than a test.
The friction point is clear in the final week. Atlanta has already secured the seed it wanted, but the lineup that helped get it there will not be on the floor together Sunday, leaving the Hawks to enter the postseason without the rhythm of a full-strength finish. The reward for the regular season is already in hand; the question now is how quickly the team can carry that formula into the games that matter most.