Atlanta Hawks NBA Draft Lottery Preview

#5 Overall Pick
32.3% odds
Best Pick: Trae Young / Mo Bamba / Mikal Bridges
Other Possibilities: Wendell Carter Jr. / Collin Sexton / Miles Bridges

Picking 5^th overall is the most likely scenario for the Hawks by percentage, and though it would be dispiriting to pick “down” after finishing with a tie for the third-worst record in the league, a top 5 pick in the NBA Draft is still extremely valuable and rare.

In this top-heavy draft especially, selecting 5^th overall is much better than selecting 9^th, as the prospects get far less promising beyond that magic number.

At 5^th overall, both Trae Young and Mikal Bridges will most likely still be available, so those 2 prospects should be tops on the team’s list, though Mo Bamba’s immense wingspan deserves a look here as well.

Beyond that, if Schlenk and co. love the cerebral nature of Wendell Carter’s game or the explosive scoring of Collin Sexton, both of those would be gutsy choices here.

It must also be noted that while Michael Porter will likely be available here, there was something about the way he played after returning from injury in college that caused some alarm bells to ring, so the Hawks should avoid him if possible.