As part of the team draft previews, I am partnering with Simon Rath, AKA @HawksDraftNerd on Twitter, to complete this draft profile. Simon gave a detailed big board for picks 6 and 50, and what the Hawks’ draft night might look like.
Picks Held: 6, 50
Timeline:
- Entering year 3 of a complete rebuild
- Drafted a wing with 3 of their last 4 first round picks
- Front office may consider playoff push, making pick 6 available
- Hawks owe their 2nd round pick out until 2022, but have a second round pick incoming every year until 2025
- Oklahoma City owes their first round pick in 2022 (lottery protected) to Atlanta
Team Needs: Perimeter defense, rim protection
Current players under contract for next season:
Guards: Trae Young
Wings: Kevin Huerter, Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter
Bigs: John Collins, Clint Capela, Bruno Fernando, Dewayne Dedmon
Options: None
Upcoming FA: Brandon Goodwin (RFA), DeAndre Bembry (RFA), Skal Labissiere (RFA), Damian Jones (RFA), Jeff Teague, Treveon Graham
Past 5 drafts:
2015: Marcus Eriksson, Dimitris Agravanis
2016: Taureen Prince, De’Andre Bembry, Isaia Cordinier
2017: John Collins, Tyler Dorsey, Alpha Kaba
2018: Trae Young, Kevin Huerter, Omari Spellman
2019: De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, Bruno Fernando
#6 big board
MavsDraft:
- Deni Avdija
- Onyeka Okongwu
- Anthony Edwards
- Isaac Okoro
- LaMelo Ball
- Killian Hayes
- Devin Vassell
- Patrick Williams
- James Wiseman
- Saddiq Bey
- Aleksej Pokusevski
- Cole Anthony
- Aaron Nesmith
- Desmond Bane
- RJ Hampton
HawksDraftNerd:
- Anthony Edwards- The fit is almost perfect especially if Nate McMillan (mostly Nate) and Lloyd Pierce can coach him up defensively.
- LaMelo Ball- The fit with Trae is going to be difficult but when you have a chance at two genius playmakers playing next to each other you have to do it. He can also be tradebait if need be.
- Isaac Okoro- The Hawks had one of the worst defenses last season so adding the best defender in the class makes sense.
- James Wiseman- The Hawks have their point guard, 2 wings and power forward of the future, so getting a freak of nature at C would round out the lineup nicely.
- Onyeka Okongwu- Neck and neck with Wiseman as the best center in the class and would pair nicely with John Collins for the next 5+ years.
- Killian Hayes- Hayes has the size to play next to Trae and the playmaking to let Trae play off-ball more. Not letting Hayes be the primary probably lessens his ceiling but his talent is hard to pass up.
- Devin Vassell- Devin would thrive in the role the Hawks put Cam in last season by focusing on defense and on offense being a catch and shoot guy. Anyone who can shoot the ball would be a welcome addition to the roster.
- Deni Avdija- I’m not high on Deni being a building block for a rebuilding team (Cavs for example) but as a number 4 option offensively he could be a real weapon. Playmaking, cutting, rebounding and defending 2-4s are his strengths.
- Tyrese Haliburton- I’m not in love with his upside as a top 6 pick but he would be a great backup PG option who could also play next to Trae at times.
- Patrick Williams- Williams would be the ultimate blank slate player who the Hawks could mold into a difference making wing or PF.
- RJ Hamptopn- If the Hawks want to be bold and go all upside they could draft the player who in my opinion has the highest potential of anyone outside of Edwards and Ball.
- Jahmi’us Ramsey- I personally love the Ramsey fit next to Trae because of his elite 3 point shooting and good defensive upside. 6 is too high but in a trade down to the end of the lottery I’d be all over this fit.
- Tyrese Maxey- Not the biggest guard partner for Trae but he’s a feisty defender who isn’t afraid to take on a bigger opponent and can also play make and shoot at a high level.
- Zeke Nnaji- If the Hawks want to go all offense they could pair John Collins with Zeke and have two switch/shooting big men. Zeke didn’t show his shooting ability in college but I’m very confident in him showing it in the pros. This would be a pretty big trade down but still enticing.
- Obi Toppin- The fit isn’t great with John Collins still there because they probably can’t survive defensively together but he would provide insurance in case John and the Hawks can’t come to an agreement on an extension.
#50 big board
MavsDraft:
- Jalen Harris
- Abdoulaye N’Doye
- Ty-Shon Alexander
- Naji Marshall
- Mamadi Diakite
- Josh Hall
- Emmitt Williams
- Isiaha Mike
- CJ Elleby
- Lamine Diane
HawksDraftNerd:
- Isaiah Joe
- Jalen Harris
- Naji Marshall
- Ty-Shon Alexander
- Killian Tillie
- Cassius Winston
- Skylar Mays
- Lesley Varner II
- Nate Hinton
- Mamadi Diakite
Other options:
- If the Hawks decide they want to get more veterans on the roster they could look to trade the 6th pick for a “star” player to pair with Trae. Oladipo or Jrue come to mind.
- The Hawks could look to trade completely out of the class and get a future pick for more trade ammo down the road. A 2021 mid-late lottery is probably worth more than the 6th pick in this class.
Shot chart:
