2018 Draft: 5 Possible Top-5 Picks for the Atlanta Hawks

Honorable Mention: Trae Young

Though the Hawks do not have a positional need at the moment at point guard, it’s currently unknown whether GM Travis Schlenk thinks of Dennis Schröder as Atlanta’s point guard of the future.

If he’s not, Trae Young of Oklahoma University is having a historic season in college basketball. Despite slowing down his insane scoring antics from earlier in the season, including a three-point shooting exhibition in which he put up 48 points in a loss to Oklahoma State, Young is still leading the entire country in scoring and assists – an unheard-of feat in the world of college basketball.

For the Hawks, drafting Young with their lottery pick would signal a sea change for the franchise, which chose Schröder over Jeff Teague in the summer of 2016 (in a trade that brought in Taurean Prince with the 12^th overall pick).

Schröder would almost certainly be on the move if Young was brought aboard, as Young’s skill set is far more conducive to Coach Mike Budenholzer’s offensive system, which relies on spacing, three-point shooting and ball movement – three things that Young should provide more of for Atlanta.

As he has shown in some of his record-setting performances (the 48 point explosion in which he pulled up from near-half-court or his NCAA record-tying 22-assist performance), Young has a knack for drilling deep treys and for finding open teammates, which would mesh perfectly with Coach Bud’s offensive requirements.

Young’s stock has been dropping of late, but if he somehow fell to the Hawks in a late lottery scenario, the team would be wise to take a chance on a possible generational talent at the point guard position.