At 5’ 7” Spud Webb was not supposed to make the NBA, let alone make a significant mark in it.  Webb was picked off of waivers after being drafted in the 4th Round (by Detroit) out of the North Carolina State Wolfpack and with his size and energy was an instant favorite amongst the Hawks fans.  He was mostly used off of the bench until his final year in Atlanta (in his first run) when he became a starter and averaged 13.4 Points per Game. 

Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame mostly for what he did with the New York Knicks, Richie Guerin was with the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks for six seasons, five of which where he served as Player/Coach.  Guerin was not the player he was when he was a Knick, but he was there to help in a dual role.  Guerin would still average 13.0 Points per Game.  Interestingly enough, he had been drafted by the expansion Seattle SuperSonics prior to the 1967-68 season and retired as opposed to playing for the new team so that he could coach Atlanta full time.  Incidentally, that year he would be named Coach of the Year.  The Sonics would eventually trade his rights back to Atlanta, allowing him to be a Player/Coach a little longer.

A lot of people were concerned when the Atlanta Hawks drafted 2nd overall in 2005 as though he was a player seen with high potential, he was only the sixth man with the NCAA Champion, North Carolina Tar Heels.  As it would turn out, Williams would have a good career in the NBA (not 2nd Pick overall worthy) and was with the Hawks for seven years predominantly starting at Small Forward.  With the exception of his rookie season, Williams would always finish a season over ten Points per Game.

Josh Childress spent his first four seasons of professional basketball with the Atlanta Hawks, used often as the team’s sixth man, a role in which he performed very well at.  Despite being used predominantly off of the bench, Childress would still average over 30 Minutes per Game as a Hawk and never had a season where he had less than Points per Game. Childress would shock Atlanta and really the entire NBA when he left the team for Olympiacos in the Greek League.