2019 NBA Draft: Full Mock Draft 1.0, Atlanta Hawks Take Two Stars
By Chris Guest
A look at a full first round 2019 NBA Draft, including selections for the Atlanta Hawks at number five and number nine.
With the final game of the regular season behind us, the 2018-19 season is officially over for the Atlanta Hawks.
For some teams, this year has been a massive disappointment (Lakers, Timberwolves, Cavs, Bulls, Suns) and for others it has been a surprising and revelatory year (Bucks, Kings, Nuggets).
Sitting somewhere in the middle was the year the Atlanta Hawks had.
While the team started out with a putrid record of 6-23, they actually played quite well to end the season and finished out the year with a 29-53 record, going 23-30 down the stretch and winning five more games than they did in the final year of the Mike Budenholzer era in 2017-18.
John Collins missed 15 games to start the season, playing his first game on November 15. Once JC was inserted back into the starting lineup, the team seemed to stabilize somewhat. Trae Young’s season took off once he had an extremely reliable rim-runner and amazing finisher around the basket, and the Atlanta Hawks as a unit seemed to jell.
With a strong push to end the season, the Atlanta Hawks hopefully set themselves up as an attractive free agent destination, but the real joy will come via June’s 2019 NBA Draft.
Depending on how the draft lottery works out for the Atlanta Hawks, they could be looking at a fairly plum scenario. For this article, let’s assume the team gets the 5th overall and 9th overall pick (via the Mavericks from the Luka Doncic trade).
How will the 2019 NBA Draft shake out for the Atlanta Hawks and for all teams? Read on to take a look at this full first round mock draft!