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Atlanta Hawks: Should They Draft a Project or More Pro-Ready Player?

By Collin Huguley

March 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Creighton Bluejays center Justin Patton (23) during the second half in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament against the Rhode Island Rams at Golden 1 Center. The Rams won 84-72. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
March 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Creighton Bluejays center Justin Patton (23) during the second half in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament against the Rhode Island Rams at Golden 1 Center. The Rams won 84-72. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Atlanta Hawks have drafted higher floor, lower ceiling players over recent years. Is this the year they should finally swing for the fences?

The Atlanta Hawks have made the postseason for ten straight seasons and have been void of high draft picks because of that.

While picking in the late teens and early-to-mid twenties, the Hawks have gone after some prospects with lower ceilings in the hopes that they could be early contributors. It is hard to find good value later in the first round and the Hawks have been a model of how difficult it can be.

The team has drafted players like Adreian Payne, DeAndre’ Bembry, and John Jenkins in the first round in the last five years and Bembry is the only one still on the roster. Payne and Jenkins were seen as players that could be decent bench pieces right away but not get that much better over the course of their careers. Neither of those guys worked out and neither has had an impactful NBA career. And the jury is still out on Bembry.

Even going back to prior regimes, selections like Acie Law and Shelden Williams were more conservative and wound up backfiring.

But one year, the Hawks did decide to swing for the fences.

In a thin 2013 Draft, the team zeroed in on an athletic point guard from Germany that was considered a boom-or-bust type of prospect. That player was Dennis Schroder.

It was one of few ambitious, high-ceiling players that the Hawks have taken in past years and it turned out to provide good value. So this begs the question, should the Hawks target a more pro-ready guy? Or should they take a chance on a player’s raw talent and try to land a franchise pillar?

When looking at the landscape of this draft, it looks like the Hawks will face that dilemma. Players like Justin Jackson, Luke Kennard, and Bam Adebayo could fall to them at pick No. 19 and they all are talented. But each of those players is seen as future role players at the next level and not really pieces that have room to grow into anything more than an average starter if that.

But there are some players that have the raw tools to be good NBA starters and be available at No. 19.

Names like Justin Patton, Harry Giles, and Terrance Ferguson all present the risk of busting but have the talent to be special players and could provide some nice upside for the draft slot. Patton is a skilled big man that is just scratching the surface of his potential. Giles was the preseason No. 1 prospect on many boards before piling up several knee injuries. And Ferguson bypassed college ball to play overseas and has the potential to be an athletic, two-way wing.

However, the Hawks have picked in this range before and had success with the safe route and still got a player with a little upside. In the 2009 Draft, the team took Jeff Teague and he developed from into a starter fairly quickly and was a steadying presence for many years.

The Hawks are in an odd spot.

Next: Power Ranking Every Atlanta Hawk Based on Playoff Performance

They could add a potentially valuable rotation piece to remain a playoff team. But if they think they may lose Paul Millsap in free agency, they need to seriously consider a project player to potentially become a key piece of the franchise for the future. And everyone knows that this is a team that could use some excitement and upside for the future.