Atlanta Hawks: Ranking the Top 8 Lottery Picks By Best Fit
By Chris Guest
Wendell Carter Jr. – Duke
A gifted shooter and finisher out of Duke, Wendell Carter Jr.’s game was swallowed up by the incandescence of Marvin Baghg during the NCAA season, but Carter would work well on the Hawks in a general sense.
An athletic, intelligent big man who can space the floor, Carter would be a good fit alongside John Collins and the two could form a young core unseen in Atlanta for decades. Similar to Bridges, Carter’s floor looks to be an attractive offer.
However, his athleticism pales in comparison to Bagley’s, so his ceiling is much lower as a result. He did not show much playmaking or off-dribble-bounce on offense, so there are questions about his role as an offensive hub. On defense, more questions arise about his ability to switch and guard smaller players, as he seems to be a bit ground-bound at this point in his career.
As we’re still on the lower side of this list, Carter Jr. should be a “light buy” for the Hawks if they lake his makeup and think he could develop into a neo-Al Horford.