Atlanta Hawks Mock Draft 3.0

Again, any number of our previous picks would make sense for Atlanta here (Landry Shamet, Rawle Alkins, Jerome Robinson), but with the team lacking size at the center position, we opted for the Turkish seven-footer Omer Yurtseven out of NC State with the final pick in the first round.

The Hawks got absolutely trucked in the paint this season, as Dewayne Dedmon’s thinner frame and John Collins’s relative inexperience did not provide much resistance at the rim to drivers or bulkier big men, giving opposing teams consistently easy points.

Yurtseven, who clocks in at 7 feet and a stocky 245 pounds would help to address some of those needs, and he has also shown a knack for finishing plays in the paint – as well as stepping out and drilling deep treys as well.

For NC State, who made it to the NCAA Tournament but lost in the first round to Seton Hall, Yurtseven had a strong all-around season. He averaged 13.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in only 23.5 minutes – numbers which would make him an advanced stats darling at the NBA level.

Perhaps the most striking statistical achievement for Yurtseven is his sky-high shooting percentage from downtown. On 44 attempts from deep, the seven-foot-tall Yurtseven drilled 22 three-points – that’s right, good for 50 percent shooting from downtown. Now detractors might point to his much more pedestrian 61.3 percent showing from the foul line as a better indicator of his actual shooting skills, but free throws are odd – and not really representative of a real jump shot.

Having some heft and size in the interior would help Atlanta going forward, and if Yurtseven can show strong defensive instincts as well as a penchant for hitting spot up threes, he will have a place in Atlanta’s rotation.