2019 NBA Draft: Ranking the 16 Best (and Worst) Lottery Picks for Atlanta Hawks
By Chris Guest
#8, #7 — Goga Bitadze, Bol Bol
Bol Bol and Goga Bitadze are two of the most interesting big men prospects in the 2019 NBA Draft Class. Recently, our full mock draft 2.0 listed Bol as the Atlanta Hawks selection at #10 overall, so clearly there is a fit between team and player.
Bitadze, for his part, is one of the intriguing international players in this draft class, matched only by Sekou Doumbouya, whose combination of age and positional need (small forward) make him extremely enticing.
Either way, both of these big men possess the scintillating combination of three-point shooting and shot-blocking that would make them ideal for the stretch five archetype that can also protect the rim on the other end – think Brook Lopez with the ascendant Milwaukee Bucks.
Clearly, one of the positions of need for the Atlanta Hawks is at the center position, especially considering that Dewayne Dedmon will likely not return in free agency – unless Hawks GM Travis Schlenk prioritizes his presence.
Furthermore, we know that Schlenk is a big fan of three-point shooting at all positions, including big men that showed little to no shooting skills prior to playing for the Hawks (Dedmon, Alex Len). If the Hawks were to nab an actually good shooter in the 2019 NBA Draft, wouldn’t that be something that Schlenk would be very willing to sign off on? Seems likely.