Soaring Down South
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What A Perfect 2018 Hawks Draft Would Look Like

By Chris Guest

WIZINK CENTER, MADRID, SPAIN - 2018/06/05: Luka Doncic during Real Madrid victory over Herbalife Gran Canaria (92-83) in Liga Endesa playoff semifinals (game 2) celebrated at Wizink Center in Madrid. (Photo by Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
WIZINK CENTER, MADRID, SPAIN - 2018/06/05: Luka Doncic during Real Madrid victory over Herbalife Gran Canaria (92-83) in Liga Endesa playoff semifinals (game 2) celebrated at Wizink Center in Madrid. (Photo by Jorge Sanz/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) /
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June 21st has come and gone, and the Atlanta Hawks had one of the best draft nights in recent memory…

Wouldn’t that be a lovely headline to read on the morning after the 2018 NBA Draft? Especially for a fairly cursed sports city like Atlanta?

In order to get those plaudits, however, what would a perfect draft night look like for the Hawks? Is trading back and pulling more picks in the future the goal? Or should the team take on bad money to nab some nice picks in this year’s draft (such as Chandler Parsons for the #4 overall pick or Kenneth Faried for the #14 overall pick)?

First and foremost, the Hawks need talent. With a unified front of Owner, GM and Coach all ready and willing to embrace the team’s very own Process, taking the best player available at every position should certainly be the team’s MO.

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Of course, to us, the best player that will most likely be available is Luka Doncic, the Slovenian Slinger. He is one of the highest-floor prospects in this draft class, and he has already carried his EuroLeague team to the title on the back of an MVP season this year for Real Madrid.

The Hawks need a playmaking wing that can shoot, handle and pass and Doncic ticks all three of those boxes. Drafting him at #3 would be the first step to a perfect draft night.

The team has also long been linked to polarizing but immensely talented point guard Trae Young, who would also fit the need of a swift-shooting, pass-happy playmaker, but he lacks the size and positional versatility that Doncic would bring.

The next step would be finding a high-upside, defensively inclined big man. We’ve outlined multiple big man options for the Hawks previously, but they could also guarantee nabbing a high-ceiling big man by taking on money for more picks, then somehow trading up into the top 5.

The possibility of obtaining the Grizzlies #4 pick, while far-fetched, is particularly juicy as the team could take Doncic or Trae Young at #3, then consecutively take a defensively gifted big man like Mohamed Bamba or Jaren Jackson Jr. with #4 – creating a brand new two-man core with consecutive top-5 picks – an extremely inviting possibility for a team that lacked much enthusiasm from fans locally and nationwide in the 2017-18 season.

Beyond that, the team should stock up on long, athletic and switchable wings or playmaking guards that can handle, pass and shoot. Multiple players like Khyri Thomas, Melvin Frazier, De’Anthony Melton, Troy Brown, Shake Milton and Elie Okobo should be available with the Hawks other picks in the draft.

If all of those needs are met in this draft, the Hawks brass can sit back and be happy that they’ve successfully piloted the team to an excellent draft – nabbing team cornerstones for years to come in one fell swoop.

Next: Could Luka Doncic Fall to Hawks at #3?

Us Hawks fans can hope at least, can’t we? That’s all we had last season, so maybe Schlenk and co. can make good on that loyalty on June 21.