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.
We have already outlined how well Justin Jackson out of Maryland would fit on the Hawks roster, as we had the franchise selecting him 34th overall in our most recent Mock Draft.
Jackson’s imposing physical tools would make him an immediate athletic upgrade on every player in the Hawks frontcourt not named John Collins (he of Second Team All-Rookie honors), and he also produced impressive shooting numbers during his two seasons in college (though his sophomore year was shortened by injury).
As long as all of his medicals are in order, the Hawks could take a chance on the chiseled Jackson, as his defensive acumen allows him to readily switch across all five positions and his shooting pedigree means that teams must respect him as a spot-up threat at all times.
A 6’7” wing with a striking 7’3” wingspan, Jackson could prove to be a versatile, multi-faceted player for years to come for the Hawks – and someone who is definitely worth a shot with the team’s lone second round selection.
One of the most polarizing prospects not named Trae Young in this draft class, Grayson Allen out of Duke stayed all four years with Mike Krzyzewski and was one of those high-effort, smooth-shooting Duke players that everyone loves to hate.
Allen played it up as well, committing frequent dirty fouls and trash-talking opposing players quite often.
The track record for Duke “villains” is mixed, with J.J. Redick probably being the biggest success story in recent memory, though it must be noted that Allen has better size and is a generally better athlete than Redick – and Allen can potentially be a switchable defender with his burly 6’5” frame and 7’0” wingspan.
Still, Allen’s combine performance was quite impressive, as he showcased impressive athleticism and NBA-ready feel and speed. He will likely be available with the 34th pick for the Hawks, so if they want a solid shooter with a checkered college past, Allen could get the call, though it must be noted the last time Atlanta selected a player out of Duke, it was Shelden Williams at 5th overall (and we all know how that turned out).
Bruce Brown out of Miami, who was teammates with SDS favorite (here’s evidence) Lonnie Walker IV last season, would make for an interesting selection for Atlanta with the 34th overall pick. Though his age is a concern (Brown will be 22 on opening night despite only playing 2 years in college), he projects to be a solid guard/wing combo at the next level.
Though Brown’s three-point stroke is a potential concern at the next level, he recently showed a potentially improved shot from distance at a workout, which is something the Hawks could definitely use.
Brown also has impressive feel and a tight handle with the ball in his hands, and he is constantly moving on offense without the ball. Brown showed solid scoring ability via the pick-and-roll and as an active and speedy player in transition.
On defense, Brown projects to be switchable across at least three positions, and his athleticism and plus wingspan will be useful defending opposing ballhandlers.
Though he is already 22 years old (quite old for a sophomore) and he is still quite a raw prospect, with the right situation on the Hawks with plenty of opportunities, Brown should blossom into a solid player with an interesting array of offensive moves as well as the defensive potential to play in small-ball orientations.
We have been quit high on Rawle Alkins out of Arizona for some time, and we still feel that his upside is stupendously high.
Though his draft stock has fallen considerably over the past few months, Alkins’ combination of size, athleticism and non-stop motor should be extremely attractive to the Hawks, as they will be looking at improving in any way they can with their final pick of the 2018 Draft, and perhaps papering over any flaws with the other players they’ve selected prior to #34 overall.
The college numbers for Alkins weren’t eye-popping in his sophomore season, and he did have lingering injury concerns at the tail end of his season, which the Hawks must thoroughly research before selecting Alkins here.
However, if his medical report is clear, Alkins would provide a strong shooting form to the team as well an impressively chiseled frame that he’s not afraid to throw around in the painted area. Alkins was consistent in mixing it up with bigger defenders, and he frequently employed his strength to get to the rim against larger big men.
Against smaller players, Alkins used his size and strength with ruthless success via the post-up, something he should be able to do at the next level as well.
A scintillating athlete, Duke’s Trevon Duval has some mammoth ups. Here’s proof:
At this juncture, Duval is mostly just a raw athlete, as he lacks the feel and basketball IQ of some of the more polished prospects in the draft – especially as a guard.
Duval’s stunning speed and quick first step allows him to blow by defenders and he can aptly finish with either hand in traffic with shot-blockers in his face.
Though his shooting numbers are ugly (29% from downtown in his lone college season) and he showed little aptitude as a scorer in the pick-and-roll, he did put up an excellent 30.2 assist rate during his freshman year – well above average.
Though Duval would definitely take some time to develop, his incredibly high ceiling is far too tempting to ignore in next year’s draft for the Hawks.
The youngest brother in prolific basketball family the Holidays (Justin Holiday and Jrue Holiday being the elders), Aaron Holiday out of UCLA would make for another solid option at #34 overall for the Hawks.
Again, the Hawks will likely be looking to find some point guard insurance in case Dennis Schröder leaves via trade, and Holiday would provide the two major skills that DS17 sometimes lacked during his tenure in Atlanta: steady, consistent three-point shooting and a willingness to pass the ball in the pick-and-roll.
Holiday was a dominant offensive force during his Junior season at UCLA, averaging 20.3 points, 5.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds on an excellent 42.9 percent clip from deep and a 60.9 percent true shooting percentage.
Next: 4 Players on Hawks Radar Who Returned to College
A skillful passer and shooter, Holiday seems to be a ready-made replacement for Schroder, and he should provide stout defense of opposing ballhandlers as well with his excellent wingspan and (hopefully) some tips and tricks picked up from his First Team All-Defense brother. LINK