Atlanta Hawks: 13 Players Hawks Could Select in 2019 NBA Draft

#7 — Grant Williams, Junior, Tennessee

One of the most enjoyable teams to watch during the NCAA season was the Tennesse Volunteers. Not only were they packed with interesting players and great athletes, they also featured two of the most lovable players in the entire country anchoring the team: SDS favorite Admiral Schofield and likely mid-lottery pick Grant Williams.

Williams, who won back-to-back SEC Player of the Year awards with the Vols, led Tennessee to impressive heights, and they couldn’t quite eke past the flamethrowing of unheralded Purdue senior Ryan Cline. Even Williams, a terrific team defender, had no answers for the wild three-pointers that Cline was drilling as the Boilermakers ousted Tennessee in the Sweet 16.

Despite that, Williams showed enough to make it clear that he is an impressive lottery-level talent – despite limited athleticism. First off, once again, the Atlanta Hawks should be desperately seeking defensive talent to place around Trae Young and John Collins, and Williams certainly fits that bill.

At times, it seems as if Williams is thinking one or two steps ahead of his foes, and his weakside help defense is among the best in this draft class.

On offense, Williams is a master at drawing fouls, and during the season, he actually hit 23 of 23 free throw attempts in a win versus Vanderbilt in which he dropped 43 mammoth points:

With both Williams and Trae playing for the Atlanta Hawks, there would be a lot of free throws shot – something that could help boost the Hawks’ offense to higher levels.

Again, the issue of fit alongside John Collins is there, but Williams is a more switchable defender than JC, so the team might opt to go that route 1-4 and let Collins man the 5.