2019 NBA Draft: Ranking the 16 Best (and Worst) Lottery Picks for Atlanta Hawks
By Chris Guest
#13, #12 — Rui Hachimura, Brandon Clarke
Next up are two players from Gonzaga, Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke, that have a fair amount of upside and NCAA cachet, but, in the end, they just do not fit that well with the Atlanta Hawks.
The one that really chaps this writer’s hide is the inclusion of Clarke so low on this list. If you’ll recall, Clarke was included as the Hawks’ selection in our first full mock draft that was released last month. Despite the concerns about fit alongside John Collins, Clarke’s athleticism, proven college production and absurdly high floor was too much to not take a chance on in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Still though, that doesn’t change anything from the fact that Clarke and Atlanta Hawks building block John Collins have skill sets that overlap. Though it would be fun to see both players speeding up and down the court in transition with Trae Young pulling the strings in the backcourt, neither player has showcased their outside shot well enough to provide the spacing that both need in the paint.
In Hachimura’s case, his stock has fallen since the start of the season, and though he shot well from distance in his junior season (41.7% per Tankathon), he only took one triple per game in that time – not particularly impressive volume.
Though a natural, fluid athlete, Hachimura looks to be more of a project than a sure thing. Perhaps that’s what the Atlanta Hawks want in the 2019 NBA Draft, but that seems unlikely.