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Ranking the Atlanta Hawks Best Draft Picks of the Last 25 Years

By Tyler Sellers

Apr 1, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) and guard Jeff Teague (0) show emotion after an overtime loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. The Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 110-108. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) and guard Jeff Teague (0) show emotion after an overtime loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. The Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 110-108. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ranking the top five draft picks made by the Atlanta Hawks from the last 25 years. Who deserves the No. 1 spot?

Apr 19, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) is guarded against Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier (12) near the Atlanta Hawks logo in the fourth quarter of game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 89-72. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 19, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) is guarded against Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier (12) near the Atlanta Hawks logo in the fourth quarter of game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 89-72. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

Who have the Hawks passed on during their draft history since 1991 that upset you the most? Chris Paul? I  would’ve liked to seen them take Rodney Hood in 2014 instead of Adreine Payne. He would be a really solid player to have on the current roster. By trading Payne to the Timberwolves, we do have a future first round pick to look forward to though.

Aside from selecting Marvin Williams with the No. 2 pick in the 2005 draft, they actually have done surprisingly good. That particular year Williams, and really Bogut too, were just poor choices for top picks. After they were taken, Deron Williams  (3rd), Chris Paul  (4th), Andrew Bynum (10th), Danny Granger  (17th) and David Lee (30th) all likely would have been better choices.

Back in 2006, when they took Sheldon Williams with the 5th overall pick, they had what could be classified as a poor draft also. The talent pool wasn’t exactly deep and rich in talent that year. Some notable players they could have drafted instead include Rudy Gay  (8th), Rajon Rondo (21st) or Kyle Lowry (24th). While Sheldon Williams was an awful pick, missing on those other players could just be attributed to the law of averages.

The Hawks never had a chance to take Paul George  (10th overall pick in 2010), Dirk Nowitzki (9th overall pick in 1998), Kobe Bryant  (13th overall pick in 1996), or Steve Nash (15th overall pick in 1996). Those are just a few examples of excellent selections over the past 25 years. 

The only 1st overall pick in the Atlanta Hawks history was in 1975, when they selected David Thompson from North Carolina State University. Back then, the player had the right to choose between the NBA, or the ABA  (American Basketball Association). After the Hawks insisted on treating him to a meal at a McDonald’s, and offering him a television set as a signing bonus, Thompson was insulted and chose to play in the ABA for the Denver Nuggets. As absurd as that sounds, it is a true story.

Perhaps the greatest pick the Hawks made during this time frame was Pau Gasol, with the 3rd pick of the 2001 draft. In case you were wondering he was traded along with Lorenzen Wright and Brevin Knight to the Vancouver Grizzlies for Shareef Abdur Rahim and the 27th pick. Sure Abdur Rahim was a valuable player in his own right, but Gasol is a guy the Hawks probably should have kept. He has gone on to win two championships, make six all star teams and to this day is still the Grizzlies all time leading scorer. He will not be included in these rankings since he never played a game for the Hawks.

With the exception of those very few missteps, Atlanta has largely made the most of their draft position for 25 years. If you consider how unpopular some of the Hawks general managers have been with fans, that is amazing. So let’s take a look at what they have done right with their drafts.

Next: No. 5