With just over two weeks until the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery, let’s take a look at the best shooters the Atlanta Hawks might take in June’s NBA Draft.
In the 2018 NBA Draft, Atlanta Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk prioritized the skill of three-point shooting above all else when he took long-range bombing point guard Trae Young, swiss army knife deep threat Kevin Huerter and sweet-shooting big man Omari Spellman. In the 2019 NBA Draft, might Schlenk opt for the same blueprint?
With 233 early entrants, just shy of last year’s record of 236, registered into the NBA Draft process (175 collegiate, 58 international), this draft class with replete with talent from top to bottom.
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Of course, there are only 60 picks available in the NBA Draft, so many of those players will likely return to school, while some might hope to get a Two-Way Contract as an undrafted free agent.
After selecting a bevy of shooters in last year’s draft, might GM Travis Schlenk look to add even more shooting in the 2019 NBA Draft? There are plenty of terrific three-point jump-shooters in this year’s draft, but a few choices don’t really make sense on the Atlanta Hawks.
For one thing, the Hawks don’t really need another undersized three-point shooting guard, as Young has that role on lock. As such, gifted shooters such as Fletcher Magee of Wofford will not be on this list, despite being regarded as one of the best “tough” jump-shooters in this class.
Beyond that, while a player like Ty Jerome of Virginia would certainly be a tantalizing fit as a backup point guard for the Hawks, he is widely believed to be a mid-to-late first round draft pick, meaning the Hawks will not be able to take him in the lottery or in the second round (where their picks will land).
With all those disclaimers out of the way, let’s explore the 12 best shooters the Atlanta Hawks could select in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Cam Johnson
Our first shooter comes with a bit of a caveat: Due to his brilliant final season on the North Carolina Tar Heels, fifth-year senior Cameron Johnson is widely expected to be taken in the late first round – meaning the Hawks will be unable to select him.
Even still, this list would not be complete with the sweet-shooting antics of the veteran college player.
Johnson had the best shooting season of his college career in 2018-19, producing a 45.7 percent clip from deep on a 50.2 percent three-point attempt rate (on nearly 6 attempts per game) per College Basketball Reference.
With good size at 6-foot-9 and 210 pounds, Johnson was able to get his shot off over smaller defenders due to his height and he was also lethal running off screens and vaulting down the court for transition triples – which is how the Tar Heels like to play.
Per The Stepien’s shot chart tool, Johnson showcased his versatile jump shot in a variety of ways, and his stats from the NBA three-point line look to be excellent as well. Johnson shot 75 of 162 on three-pointers from NBA distance, good for a 46.3 percent clip.
Though Johnson will be an extremely old rookie (23.2 years old on draft night), there’s no question his floor is high, and there will always be a place in the NBA for a knockdown shooter.
Dylan Windler
Dylan Windler of the Belmont Bruins produced an exceptional senior campaign that caught the eyes of many scouts. Windler helped lead the Bruins to a victory over Temple in the First Four before being defeated by Maryland in the First Round.
Windler acquitted himself well, however, with a 35-point performance against Maryland in which he showcased his gorgeous three-point jumper:
With good size at 6-foot-8 and 200 pounds (though a little more muscle wouldn’t hurt), Windler is a lethal shooter off the dribble, yet he is also a potent off-the-ball weapon as well.
In his four years at Belmont per College Basketball Reference, Windler shot 40.6 percent from deep on a 48.7 percent three-point attempt rate, showing the ability to hit his three-ball with consistency and on high volume.
In his senior year at Belmont, Windler produced 21.3 points per game, 10.8 rebounds per game, 2.5 assists per game and 1.4 steals per game as one of the best player in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Per The Stepien’s shot chart tool, which is incomplete due to the lack of OVC coverage, Windler shot 11 of 23 from NBA range on his three-pointers, good for 47.8 percent. Though that might seem high, Windler’s jumper is a thing of beauty, and if he falls out of the first round in the 2019 NBA Draft, he would be a nice fit on the Atlanta Hawks.
Kyle Guy
The one and only Kyle Guy went from man bun to national champion over the course of his career at Virginia, and he was one of the most notable players in the NCAA Tournament due to his immensely clutch buckets against various teams.
Notably, Guy helped key two improbable comebacks against Purdue and Auburn in back-to-back rounds on the way to a thrilling national championship game against Texas Tech. Due to his heroics in the NCAA Tournament, Guy was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Though many Virginia fans were surprised, Guy announced recently that he planned to enter the NBA Draft and also planned to keep his name in. While not widely regarded as a first round pick, this means the Atlanta Hawks will be able to select Guy in the second round.
Despite not having great size (6-foot-2, 175 pounds), Guy certainly gets lift on his jumper and his shot is a beautiful thing to view. Per College Basketball Reference, Guy shot 42.5 percent from deep in his Virginia career on a 55.5 percent three-point attempt rate – including a career-high 7.4 attempts per game in his 2018-19 junior season.
The Stepien’s shot chart tool also conveys that Guy is comfortable shooting from NBA range, as he went 79 of 187 (42.3%) from NBA range during the 2018-19 season.
While Guy might not be the best fit for the Atlanta Hawks as a smallish guard, his selection would certainly bring some headlines to the team on 2019 NBA Draft night, and we all know that Schlenk loves shooting.
De’Andre Hunter
A great shooter and brilliant defender with and NBA-ready frame and good size, De’Andre Hunter of Virginia was also critical to the team’s run to the national championship game.
Hunter was injured in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, which is almost certainly directly related to why Virginia was ousted in the first round by a 16-seed – the only #1 seed ever to lose in such humiliating fashion.
However, Hunter was healthy in this tournament, and it turned out well for Virginia, as his steady, mistake-free play helped to lead them to the ultimate redemption story – from bowing out versus a 16-seed to national champions.
Hunter’s three-point prowess was a key weapon for Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers and, for his career, Hunter is a 41.9 percent three-point shooter. Though the volume is not there with Hunter, his shot form is pure and easily portable to the NBA, as The Stepien’s shot chart shows that Hunter went 29 of 65 from NBA three-point range in college – good for a 44.6 percent clip.
Depending on where the Atlanta Hawks pick lands in the 2019 NBA Draft, the team might make Hunter a priority with either its own pick (between 1 and 9 overall) or, if he falls, the Mavs pick (between 9 and 13 overall).
John Konchar
John Konchar, a Summit League sensation in his senior season, would fill a variety of needs for the Atlanta Hawks were he selected in the 2019 NBA Draft. Though the competition is slightly lesser in mid-major conferences, Konchar put up some truly ridiculous numbers in his final year at Purdue Fort-Wayne.
Per College Basketball Reference, Konchar put up staggering per-game numbers of 19.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.9 blocks – all while shooting 38.1 percent from deep on 4.2 attempts per game.
Konchar was a do-everything swingman for the Mastodons (great team name, by the way), and his size (6-foot-5, 210 pounds) allowed him to guard multiple positions on the other end.
Konchar often had the ball in his hands for Purdue-FW, as his career-high 25.9 percent usage rate would attest, a number that was also 9th in the Summit League.
Sure, the Summit League might not have been the gauntlet that some of the biggest conferences in Division 1 college basketball were, but Konchar’s versatile jumper certainly looked fluid and portable to the NBA line. It seems likely that if the Atlanta Hawks were to take a flyer on a relatively unknown player like Konchar in the undrafted realm or late in the second round, they would immediately reap the benefits by nabbing a talented all-around player with little hype.
Admiral Schofield
A favorite of Soaring Down South as well as this writer, Admiral Schofield was a brilliant leader in his senior season at Tennessee alongside his running mate Grant Williams and point guard Jordan Bone – all of whom have declared for the 2019 NBA Draft.
Beyond a chiseled, NBA-ready frame (6-foot-6, 241 pounds, ripped) and the potential for switching across a myriad of positions, Schofield is also an extremely consistent three-point shooter. With fairly impressive athleticism and solid form, his three-point jumper should convey to the NBA level quite easily.
Per College Basketball Reference, Schofield shot 38.7 percent from deep in his four-year college career on a 37.3 percent three-point attempt rate, though none of his triples were more clutch than the ones in the 2018-19 regular season against then number one in the country Gonzaga:
In the 2018-19 season, Schofield shot a career-high 41.8 percent from deep on nearly 5 attempts per game, and The Stepien’s shot chart tool shows that Schofield was comfortable taking NBA-range triples as well – going 50 of 124 from NBA range (40.3 percent) during the season as well.
Comfortable in spot-up and pull-up scenarios, Schofield would be a terrific high-value, high-floor selections for the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft.
Deividas Sirvydis
Though incredibly thin and supremely young, Lithuanian Deividas Sirvydis has one of the prettiest jump-shots in this entire draft class. Though only 190 pounds, Sirvydis stands tall at 6-foot-8 and is able to get his jumper off with ease over smaller players.
Beyond that, he can effectively can his triples on both catch-and-shoot and off-the-dribble scenarios, and for his team BC Rytas of the Lithuanian league and EuroCup, he became the youngest player in EuroCup history to score 17 points at only 17 years of age.
Again, his frame is not quite NBA-ready, but Sirvydis showed tremendous instincts as well as impressive athleticism and feel during his tenure with BC Rytas on top of that stunning jumper.
Since the Atlanta Hawks have three second round picks (and could acquire more if they so desired via trade), taking a flyer on a draft-and-stash prospect or a more long-term selection would certainly make sense.
Just so we have it, Sirvydis shot 46.3 percent from long-range in over 13 minutes per contest with BC Rytas on a sky-high 66.1 percent three-point attempt rate. That combination of volume and accuracy should be extremely tantalizing for Schlenk and the Atlanta Hawks.
Killian Tillie
There is no question about Killian Tillie of Gonzaga’s skill level – unquestionably, he’s extremely talented. However, Tillie suffered a partially torn ligament in his foot during the 2018-19 season, which hampered his abilities somewhat.
In his freshman and sophomore seasons, however, Tillie proved himself to be among the best shooters in NCAA men’s basketball by producing a 47.9 percent clip from deep on a higher than 60 percent three-point attempt rate per College Basketball Reference.
Though his numbers dipped slightly in his junior year, Tillie still put forth a career-high 45.7 percent three-point attempt rate and shot 43.8 percent (on only 32 total attempts).
Tillie was an offensive dynamo when he was fully healthy in his sophomore season of 2017-18, so the Atlanta Hawks should be willing to take a swing in the second round if he falls that far due to lingering injury concerns.
Born in Paris, France, Tillie would bring a proven winning pedigree due to his time with the omnipresent West Coast Conference champion Gonzaga Bulldogs, and he would likely bring yet another good locker room presence to a young team looking to bolster its depth organically through the draft.
Bol Bol
At one point considered a Top 5 talent in the 2019 NBA Draft, scouts and NBA draft pundits have soured a bit on Bol Bol of Oregon after he suffered a season-ending navicular fracture in his foot.
Bol is the son of NBA legend Manute Bol, who was among the tallest players to ever play in the NBA at 7-foot-7, and Bol definitely picked up his father’s genetics. Standing rail-thin but with a 7-foot-2 height and a 7-foot-8 wingspan, Bol is a legitimate rim-protecting force that also the talent to step out drill three-pointers at an impressive clip.
Though a skinny big man with lower body injuries is scary, the talent and upside is just too tantalizing for the Atlanta Hawks, who should definitely be pondering selecting Bol with the Mavericks pick if it doesn’t scoot into the Top 5 during the NBA Draft lottery.
Per College Basketball Reference though Bol only played 9 games with Oregon, he shot 13 of 25 from three (52%) and also finished 15th in the Pac-12 in blocks with 24. That’s rather impressive considering, again, he only played 9 games.
Because of his immense size, Bol is not just standing in the corner waiting for the ball to be kicked out to him. The majority of Bol’s attempts came above the break, per The Stepien’s shot chart tool, and further expanded upon that Bol went an astonishing 13 of 19 from NBA three-point range (an insane 68.4 percent).
If Bol’s medicals are clear and he is able to pack on some muscle, Atlanta Hawks GM Travis Schlenk will likely be extremely intrigued by Bol’s singular skill set.
Naz Reid
While Bol Bol might have a singular skill set in terms of knockdown three-point shooting and lockdown rim protection, Naz Reid of LSU also has distinct skills as a burly big man.
Far beefier than the spindly Bol, Naz Reid has an NBA-ready frame at 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, meaning he possesses the requisite length needed at the center position at the NBA level.
Beyond that, Reid is extremely comfortable with the ball in his hands, and often initiated tertiary offensive actions for the Tigers in his freshman season. However, the reason that the Atlanta Hawks might be more interested in Reid is because of what looks to be one of the purest jumper in college basketball.
While his stats aren’t eye-popping, his stroke certainly belies pure mechanics, and when his shots went in, they went in clean – utter swishes.
Sure, a 33.3 percent clip from deep and a 34.3 clip from NBA range isn’t elite, but a 26.4 percent usage for a big man that can also handle the ball is something quite intriguing. Only time will tell if the Hawks feel the same way.
Zach Norvell Jr.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs were an absolute juggernaut, and their loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Elite Eight can be chalked up to the Red Raiders being that side of the bracket’s “team of destiny.”
The Zags were a complete behemoth all season, and they finished as the number one overall offense in the country coupled with the 12th- best defense per KenPom.
Gonzaga was buoyed by a balanced scoring attack as well as the ferocious defense from potential Atlanta Hawks draftee Brandon Clarke. However, Clarke is not much of a shooter, which means our attention turns to sweet-shooting swingman Zach Norvell Jr.
In his two seasons with Gonzaga, Norvell produced a rock-solid 37.1 percent shooting clip from long range coupled with a 60.8 percent three-point attempt rate. Norvell knew where his bread was buttered, and he didn’t force his way into activities that were not particularly his forte.
Norvell was comfortable taking shots off the dribble and off the catch, though his numbers on NBA-level threes was slightly less than his overall rate (per The Stepien): 33.7 percent on 184 attempts.
Still though, looking at his shot chart makes it clear that many of his makes were just inside of the NBA three-point line, so it’s reasonable to imagine that he’ll be able to make those shots at the next level.
Louis King
Last but not least, the wiry Louis King of Oregon was teammates with the already-explored Bol Bol, but King did manage to play in more than 9 games. King was action in 13 games for the Ducks, and he produced a fairly impressive level for an undersized wing.
King is shifty and quick, and he was able to leverage his fluid athleticism into some solid finishes around the rim as well as a cornucopia of different jump-shot looks – from short mid-range, long mid-range and, of course, from deep.
In his likely lone season at Oregon, King shot 38.6 percent from deep on a fairly high 45 percent three-point attempt rate – showing the necessary combination of volume and accuracy that is usually representative of a good deep threat.
Looking at The Stepien’s shot chart for King shows an ever-so-slight dip in his numbers from the NBA three-point line (33 of 87, 37.9 percent), but that difference is clearly negligible, so his shot should be fairly portable if the Atlanta Hawks were to take a swing on King in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft – where he is projected to go at this point.
The NBA has become obsessed with the three-pointer and so, by extension, has NCAA basketball. These players could truly make a difference for the Atlanta Hawks at the three-point line, and we shall see how GM Travis Schlenk plays it in the 2019 NBA Draft. Will he go all-in on shooting like he did in 2018? Who knows, but there’s no question that the NBA Draft and draft lottery can’t get here soon enough!