The Atlanta Hawks have been playing far better of late, and they’re only 2 wins away from the amount they tallied last season.
With the Atlanta Hawks currently sitting with the fifth-best draft odds in the NBA, behind only the New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls, it’s time to once again explore a Mock Draft for our beloved avian sports team.
With March Madness right around the corner, many of the most notable prospects are loading up for what is expected to be an extremely engaging NCAA Tournament. But first, conference tournaments must be completed, which are rife with questions. Most notably, when will consensus #1 overall pick Zion Williamson return to action?
Coach Mike Krzyzewski has stated that Zion will not play until it’s confirmed that he is 100 percent healthy, though many pundits and talking heads have claimed that he shouldn’t play another game in college.
However, anyone who has watched the thrilling exploits of one of the best college prospects of all time knows that this is likely not in his DNA.
It goes without saying that if the Atlanta Hawks were to shimmy up five spots in the draft pecking order, they would gallop (or soar, as it were) to the podium in order to select Williamson. Though Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk clearly value shooting, Zion is a can’t-miss prospect that the team would be absolutely bonkers to pass up.
Let’s check out what a possible draft night might look like for the Atlanta Hawks.
#5 – Cam Reddish
With a lot of movement at the top of the draft in a variety of recent mocks, it seems as if many outlets have soured on what five-star freshman recruit Cameron Reddish brings to the table.
Though he, along with his teammates Zion and R.J. Barrett are carrying an incredibly talented Duke to a likely #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Reddish’s contributions are being severely overshadowed by his higher-profile teammates.
Reddish was among the first player on this team to commit to Duke (other than Tre Jones), and he did not ask for Zion or Barrett to join him on this team. It seems likely that a different system and a different role might suit him better.
However, if the Atlanta Hawks were to draft Reddish, they would most likely ask him to perform a similar role in the NBA. The Hawks, first and foremost, need some defensive talent on this team, and Reddish with his quick hands, good size and impressive 7-foot-1 wingspan should be able to serve as a strong wing defender alongside Kevin Huerter – as well as who we think the Atlanta Hawks should take with the 8th pick.
Though Reddish is only shooting 33.6 percent from downtown this season (per College Basketball Reference), he is attempting nearly 8 triples a night – a willingness to shoot from distance that the Hawks would gladly embrace, especially at his size and length.
Again, Reddish is having an underwhelming season for the Blue Devils, and his 50.5 true shooting percentage is definitely alarming, but if it allows the Hawks a chance to gamble on one of the biggest names in college basketball this season, so be it.
With Trae Young guiding the offense, whoever is with him should expect very good looks from downtown right in their shooting pocket, as Ice Trae is already one of the NBA’s best passers.
#8 – De’Andre Hunter (via Mavericks)
De’Andre Hunter is a clear late-lottery pick that could go a bit higher than #8 overall. If Hunter is not available, a strong fallback option would be Jaxson Hayes out of Texas, but for this scenario, Hunter is the best bet.
A gifted defender and multifaceted offensive player, Hunter would fit like a glove on an Atlanta Hawks team that should be set at the point guard position with Trae Young, one of the big spots with John Collins and a 2/3 combo wing in Kevin Huerter. That leaves another wing spot and a big spot open. Enter Hunter.
Hunter currently holds a lofty 128.1 offensive rating according to KenPom, which also has his Virginia Cavaliers as the #1 team in the country. Hunter is shooting an astonishing 48.6 percent from downtown on the season, though he has only taken 70 triples. A career 44 percent three-point shooter (per College Basketball Reference), it can be surmised that Hunter’s perimeter shooting is very real.
An excellent defender with quick feet and terrific instincts, Hunter is exactly the sort of player the Hawks should be prioritizing. With Trae Young and John Collins as franchise cornerstones, the team is a bit light on defensive stalwarts at this juncture.
If Atlanta were to add both Reddish and Hunter, two projectable wings with good frames and strong defensive skill sets, the team might be all set with its young core – only 2 years into a rebuild.
#35 – Matisse Thybulle
As has already been stated, the Atlanta Hawks must improve on defense going forward if they are to be a contender going forward in what looks as if it might be an extremely accelerated rebuild for the team.
With both Reddish and Hunter on the team as day-one starters (possibly, depending on what the team does with Kent Bazemore in the final year of his 2016 deal), the team should take a swing on a talented guard defender, which is exactly what Washington senior Matisse Thybulle is.
With the Pac-12 conference already wrapped up in favor of the Huskies, Thybulle is looking to make an impact in the NCAA Tournament with his immense defensive gifts.
Thybulle is currently #1 in the country in steal rate at 6.7 percent, according to KenPom, and his block rate of 8.1 percent is pretty amazing for a 6-foot-6 guard. Thybulle employs Washington’s zone defense to freelance on the defensive end, allowing him to roam around and use his elite hands to poke away balls from unsuspecting ballhandlers.
According to College Basketball Reference, Thybulle is also #1 in total steals in all of college basketball at an even 100 (which his career-high from last season of 101 is likely in jeopardy), and he is also #1 in steals per game throughout the NCAA with 3.4 takeaways per game. With 305 steals, Thybulle is 2nd all-time in Pac-12 history in steals.
Though Thybulle’s offense is far less of a calling card, he will likely only be tasked with being a spot-up shooter in the NBA, and though he is shooting only 32.2 percent from deep this season, he is a career 36.5 percent shooter from distance and shot over 40 percent in his sophomore year.
Thybulle is also shooting 85.7 percent from the free throw line on nearly 2 attempts per game, so his shooting form is solid.
#41 – Admiral Schofield
Much has been written (by this writer) about the addition of Tennessee’s Admiral Schofield on the Atlanta Hawks next season. No matter what you might think of Schofield’s NBA future, the man can play, and he is a clear leader for a Tennessee team that looks like a real Final Four contender in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Just take a gander at his clinching dunk from a recent Volunteers drubbing of Kentucky:
With a mammoth frame, Popeye-sized arms and bulbous shoulders, Schofield is as chiseled a prospect as one could ask for in the second round. As one of the emotional and on-court leaders of a juggernaut Tennessee team, the Atlanta Hawks should aim to add Schofield’s passion and intensity to a young Hawks team.
The selection of Schofield here would also intimate that the Atlanta Hawks have pivoted from rebuilding from the ground-up into a more focused, win-now rebuild.
Though the team would still be looking to prioritize young players so that Hawks fans could watch this young core grow for years to come, drafting Hunter (a sophomore), Thybulle (a senior) and Schofield (also a senior) would mean that the Hawks would have some “older rookies” that might be more able to come in and immediately have an impact for a winning team.
In terms of stats per College Basketball Reference, Schofield is putting up career-highs in his senior year in: points per game (16.4), rebounds per game (6.4), assists per game (2.1), steals per game (1.0), blocks per game (0.5) and field goal percentage (47.5%). A career 37.3 percent shooter, Schofield should be switchable on defense and can create off the bounce on offense in a tertiary role.
Dear Hawks, draft The Admiral 2.0!
#44 – Sagaba Konate
In the 2019 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks are slated to have 3 second-round picks. They had only one last season, which they traded to the Charlotte Hornets. In hindsight, of course, the team would’ve probably been better served by drafting Mitchell Robinson 35th overall, who was taken one pick later by the New York Knicks, and he has been one of the team’s best players this season – if not the single best.
Instead, the Hawks took Devonte’ Graham 34th overall and traded him to the Hornets for two future second-rounders. In this draft, it seems likely that Atlanta will do something similar or draft an unheralded international prospect for a draft-and-stash opportunity.
With three second-rounders, there is also the opportunity to include those in a deal for a more established younger player currently in the league or for future draft picks.
If the Atlanta Hawks keep the pick, taking a chance on West Virginia’s Sagaba Konate makes sense too. A talented defender who only played 8 games for the West Virginia Mountaineers this year, Konate would help create the defensive mindset the team needs going forward if its two major offensive cornerstones are noted defensive negatives John Collins and Trae Young.
In his 8 games, Konate put up sterling stats by per-36 minutes: 20.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 4.1 blocks and 1.1 steals, according to Tankathon.com.
Again, there’s no telling what Atlanta Hawks GM Travis Schlenk will do in the 2019 NBA Draft, as who could’ve foreseen the team trading Luka Doncic for Trae Young? Either way, the draft lottery can’t get here soon enough.
With less than 20 games left in the NBA’s regular season and two weeks until March Madness starts, stay tuned for plenty more draft coverage on Soaring Down South.