The 2-8 Atlanta Hawks are staying the course so far this season. Our relative lack of talent and abundance of youth have piled on the losses as expected.
But fear not Hawks fans, the most important part of our season starts November 10th, college basketball!! The Hawks look poised to have an extremely high lottery pick and are also in possession of Minnesota’s (lottery protected) and Houston’s (top 3 protected) first round picks, so this draft is as important as any in our franchise’s history.
Atlanta chose a great year to rebuild, as the lottery rules change after this draft and the class for this year is extremely top heavy with some potential game changers in the top 4.
Related Story: In case you don’t already know, Dennis Schroder is a bad, bad man
Here is who you need to keep an eye on this season:
Marvin Bagley III, PF, Duke
Just off of first glance and highlight tapes on YouTube, Bagley is my personal favorite. Standing at 6’10” and weighing in at just a hair over 220 pounds, the Duke product is built to have long and dominant career in the NBA.
He doesn’t quite have the shooting touch that is needed in this new age of the NBA but he has shown potential. Even if his jumper stays a weakness, he can be a defensive menace and a great inside scorer. Slotting him next to Collins would create a fearsome frontcourt for years to come.
Michael Porter Jr., SF, Missouri
The most famous one and done this college basketball season. Michael Porter Jr. is an ideal scoring forward and the only freshman voted to the preseason AP All-American team. He is the driving force behind the early season hype for Missouri basketball.
Coming in at 6′ 10″ 213 pounds, the main question behind Porter is if he is able to be the number 1 guy in terms of scoring for an NBA team. His defense, specifically off ball, is less than perfect but the Hawks should not shy away from the Mizzou small forward.
DeAndre Ayton, C, Arizona
DeAndre Ayton is the most intriguing of all the major prospects of the 2018 draft in my opinion. He is an absolutely elite rebounder, can shoot from 3 and measures in at 7 feet and 250 pounds. A unicorn by definition, Ayton could slot perfectly into Atlanta with Mike’s heavy passing and perimeter shooting based offense.
Next: Marco Belinelli nowhere to be found after sizzling start to season
We could also cure our rebounding deficiency in one fell swoop. Collins has looked great playing the 5 and we’re not super sure if his natural position is at the 4 or 5 so log jamming Ayton into the lineup could create a potential problem. However, Ayton’s shooting ability would most likely cure the spacing issue (if any) if we were to have a Collins-Ayton frontcourt.