The 2018 NBA Draft has come and gone, and the Atlanta Hawks made some questionable choices at #5 (via trade), #19 and #30 (but not at #34 as they inexplicably traded that pick).
Clearly, the Hawks favored shooting above anything else, dismissing concerns of fit and ceiling in favor of players who project to be rock-solid marksmen at the NBA level. Though a noble pursuit, at the end of the day, the Hawks and GM Travis Schlenk were far too obstinate in their selections in the first round, to the detriment of the future prospects of the team.
It seems Schlenk had this plan in place for weeks, as the team did not take much time to deliberate on these picks. It was as if the Hawks war room didn’t really read the draft board and react to what they were seeing – players falling, possibilities of scooping steals at various points – and instead just fell in line and selected players who could shoot.
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The franchise must’ve had a clear-cut pecking order and an idea of exactly who would be available at each spot – no matter if it felt like a reach or not.
The selection of Omari Spellman at #30, for instance, was a clear reach as he would’ve most likely been available at #34 overall where the Hawks should’ve selected in the second round. The team could’ve focused on taking first round talents who fell, like Khyri Thomas or Keita Bates-Diop, but instead they opted for a reportedly sweet-shooting big man in Spellman – whose skill set clashes quite viciously with John Collins (reigning All-Rookie Second Team member).
However, when they were not inflexible, they seemingly made major missteps – the trading of the #34 pick springs to mind. Instead of packaging #34 and #30 to move up a few spots for a higher-echelon prospect, the team instead opted to dismiss the pick entirely for the promise of two future second rounders from the Hornets.
That is a frankly bad decision unless Schlenk plans to package almost every other pick other than their own next year to move way up in the 2019 draft.
In the end, GM Schlenk’s decision-making process seemed mechanical and predetermined, as the trade for Doncic could be seen coming from a mile away.
Even though we like the selection of Young – taking him over Doncic better work out, or else Schlenk will likely be looking for another job in a few years’ time.
Next: Atlanta Hawks 2018 NBA Draft Grades
In summation, though prioritizing shooting seems like an excellent choice in today’s pace-and-space NBA, the Hawks should’ve been willing to make changes to their board as good players fell by the wayside and were selected by teams in far less advantageous draft situations.