The Atlanta Hawks have known for months where they would select in the mid-to-late first round, and after the NBA Draft Lottery, they finally know where their own pick will land to start the 2018 NBA Draft.
Though the 2018 draft class is not quite as deep and talented as the astonishingly terrific 2017 class, which was headlined by playoff dominators Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell as well as likely rookie of the year Ben Simmons, there are still multiple players the Atlanta Hawks could take with the 34th overall pick that might turn into cornerstone players for the franchise for years to come.
Who the team selects with the 3rd overall pick will likely determine what prospect gets the call with the team’s 19th and 34th overall selection, but the 7 players outlined in this story are all solid choices regardless of who the team grabs with their first two selections in the first round .
The Hawks should be in “best player available” mode in this draft, as they were running at a tremendous talent deficit during the 2017-18 season against almost every other team. Replenishing their roster with young, high-upside players will help the team grow organically in every facet of the game.