2019 NBA Draft: Full Mock Draft 1.0, Atlanta Hawks Take Two Stars

#5. Atlanta Hawks – Jarrett Culver

In the words of college basketball writer Jon Rothstein (quoting the late, great Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight): “And Here. We. Go.”

For the Atlanta Hawks, with Zion Williamson long gone from the board by the time the #5 overall pick rolls around (read on to explore Zion’s sky-high draft stock), the team should not fall prey to recency bias and look at team need as well as a recent Atlanta Hawks big board that was released on Soaring Down South last week.

With all that in mind, the Atlanta Hawks should take Jarrett Culver out of Texas Tech #5 overall.

While the Bulls might be interested in Culver, they have a sore need for a point guard (read on to see who have Chicago taking), and the Atlanta Hawks would love it if Culver was still around at #5.

A brilliant defender with a strong frame, good size and nascent offensive creation. Culver had a breakout season and took his Red Raiders all the way to the NCAA Championship game and were defeated by the “team of destiny” in overtime.

Nothing can be taken away from Culver, however, as he was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, a consensus All-American and also a NCAA Tournament All-Region team member.

The Atlanta Hawks need a defensive upgrade across the entire roster, and Culver is nothing but clamps on that end. He led the entire country with 3.5 defensive win shares this year, and he was also third in the Big 12 in that category last season – when he was only 19.

At age 20 on draft day, Culver would still fit into the Atlanta Hawks timeline while providing excellent scoring ability and a defensive pedigree the team sorely needs.