Mike Budenholzer not tipping hand on rotation

One of the leading storylines heading into Wednesday's  regular season opener for the Atlanta Hawks is what will Mike Budenholzer's rotation look like. More specifically, will it be Dennis Schröder or Shelvin Mack who emerges as the backup point guard behind starter Jeff Teague? Budenholzer was asked about the point guard situation by Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution but he wasn't willing to reveal an answer.

"We feel great that we've had three point guards who have played really well the whole month. They are playing at a high level. I think we are very fortunate to have that."

Its possible both could play as Budenholzer has not been afraid to deploy a backcourt featuring two point guards. That scenario would seem to cut into the minutes available for guys like Kent Bazemore at the shooting guard.

Budenholzer was also asked about his front court rotation and rookie Adreian Payne. His answer could be applied to the backcourt as well.

"He is very much learning and getting comfortable on both ends of the court, defensively and offensively. I think the depth of our bigs is one of our strengths. I think he is capable of going into an NBA game and helping and contributing but we've got six other guys who you could say the same thing about. It's the hard part about coaching that you can't play them all. I think we all know how a season is and how young players can develop. We are going to be focused on developing him in all situations."

The short answer is, we won't know who is in the rotation until the ball goes up on Tuesday night. The rotation that is used on Wednesday might not be the same for the home opener on Saturday. Competition for playing time will no doubt continue into the regular season. If last year showed anything it was that players that found themselves not playing eventually got a chance to contribute and prove their value. In some cases that was due to injury, in others it was due to performance. At any rate, we will find out Wednesday night who is going to get the first crack.