A ranking of the players that are widely expected to be lottery picks in the 2019 NBA Draft based on how they would fit with the Atlanta Hawks.
The Atlanta Hawks will be in a fascinating position after the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery. After the ping-pong balls bounce around on Tuesday night, the Hawks will either have two lottery picks (one of which coming from the Mavs in the Luka Doncic/Trae Young trade), one of which might be the #1 overall pick.
While there is clearly a single choice at the top of the draft board (Zion Williamson), if the Hawks do not get the benefit of the ping-pong balls, there are still a variety of interesting young players to nab with their two lottery selections.
Of course, if the Hawks don’t win the lottery, it’s not the end of the world as the team could either try to trade up the draft board or down the draft board, depending on what their needs are.
One thing is for certain, however: Some of the players in this draft class fit better with the Atlanta Hawks than others do.
For one thing, the Atlanta Hawks already seemingly have the team’s backcourt of the future set in Trae Young and Kevin Huerter – though Huerter’s position is a bit more nebulous, as teams can always use more viable wing bodies on the perimeter to guard and knock down triples.
Beyond that, though, the team is wide open. Let’s take a look at how the widely held lottery picks will fit on the Atlanta Hawks, starting with the three worst fits:
Worst Fits: Ja Morant, Coby White, Darius Garland
This was obvious, but the Atlanta Hawks selecting a point guard in the 2019 NBA Draft seems kind of out of the question. Though Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk has stated that the team is still in “best player available” mold, all three of these selections might not necessarily fit that need depending on where the Atlanta Hawks select.
This is no way intended as a slight on these players, it’s just that Trae Young looked the part of a legitimate NBA point guard in his first season – so much so that he deserves to be named Co-Rookie of the Year when the NBA awards are announced.
Ja Morant, the best point guard prospect in this class, averaged 20 points and 10 assists in his sophomore season for the Murray State Racers; Coby White helped lead the North Carolina Tar Heels to a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament; Darius Garland showed impressive flashes before suffering a season-ending injury that barely dented his draft stock.
Despite sterling efforts in college and solid pedigree, all three of these players should be lowest on the team’s list to draft in the 2019 NBA Draft lottery simply due to an overlap of skills with Trae Young. Though perhaps the team could nab them in a backup capacity – where the Atlanta Hawks do have a need – these players are good enough to be given the keys to the offense on day one, which the Hawks could not provide.
#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.
#11 — Grant Williams
Grant Williams out of Tennessee and his erstwhile Volunteers teammate Admiral Schofield were two of this writer’s favorite players in NCAA men’s basketball last season, and that still holds true to this day.
Williams, in particular, is a brilliant basketball mind that always seems to be thinking one step ahead on offense, as he was his team’s hub at the elbow for much of his junior season. Beyond that, Williams’s rippling physique and fairly quick feet means he projects to be able to slide his feet on the perimeter and use his bulk in the paint to deter hulking centers as well.
Though Williams has a fairly high floor as a player, he slides down this list due to the fact that his fit alongside John Collins is, once again, suspect. Though Williams shot great from the free throw line in his junior season (81.9 percent), his three-point percentage was 32.6 percent. Not great.
However, free throw percentage at the college level is actually a better indicator than three-point percentage, so maybe Williams will be a reliable three-point hoister at the next level.
If the Atlanta Hawks opt to draft Grant Williams in the 2019 NBA Draft, it won’t be the end of the world, but it seems likely that there are better fits on the board to be explored beyond the 20-year-old junior.
#10, #9 — R.J. Barrett, Romeo Langford
R.J. Barrett and Romeo Langford are two highly regarded high school prospects that came in with all the hype in the world to the 2018-19 college basketball season.
After the season was over, the two had had very different responses to the seasons they produced.
Barrett, who was actually the #1 recruit in the 2019 NBA Draft class (that’s right, ahead of Zion), fell into more of a “Robin” role to Zion’s “Batman.” At times, Barrett chafed at the idea of being the second-best player on his team, but that didn’t stunt his usage rate, which still ended up being sky-high.
Langford was pretty much all Indiana had, and though he was able to lead them past future Final Four team Michigan State on two separate occasions during the regular season, it was not enough to send the Hoosiers to the Big Dance.
Still though, both of these players would be fairly good fits on the Atlanta Hawks in the 2019 NBA Draft. They both have good size and play a position of need at the three. Beyond that, both showed flashes of defensive upside and instincts, which is something they Hawks need to dramatically improve next season.
We have previously outlined some reasons why Langford would be a good fit and also think Barrett might even be a better fit than Duke’s final Big 3 member not named Zion (though not on this list), so neither of these picks would be in any way detrimental for the Atlanta Hawks.
#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.
#6 — Cam Reddish
Despite being ranked behind his Duke teammate R.J. Barrett in earlier SDS piece regarding the fit of Duke’s Big 3 on the Atlanta Hawks, in terms of sheer fit, Cam Reddish still fits more with the direction that the Hawks seem to be going with Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and John Collins as the team’s core.
Reddish had something of a nightmarish season alongside his vaunted cohorts, though he still produced a tantalizing highlight reel that should provide glimpses of the skills he might convey at the next level.
Reddish does project to be a solid perimeter defender who can leverage his length and quickness to swallow up smaller, slower players.
Of course, Reddish’s claim to fame was his jumper, which did not particularly fall at the clip he wanted it to during the course of the 2018-19 NCAA basketball season, but even still, the Atlanta Hawks have surely done their homework to know that despite his percentages being less than ideal, the form is rock-solid and certainly looks portable to the NBA line.
Though still scrawny, give Reddish time with an NBA weight training regimen and gains would certainly be found over the next few years. If Taurean Prince is not re-signed (an idea that’s explored here), the Hawks will need to address a hole at the three in the 2019 NBA Draft. Reddish could be that salve.
#5, #4 — Jaxson Hayes, PJ Washington
Jaxson Hayes erupted onto the scene as a high-upside big man prospect out of Texas, and it’s clear that he has some tremendous skills as both a shot-block and rim-runner.
As has been stated already, the Atlanta Hawks will likely look to land a big man with one of its draft picks in the 2019 NBA Draft, so Hayes has been naturally tied to the Hawks with the Mavs pick with great regularity.
However, Hayes will be something of a project due to the raw nature of his game. Why wouldn’t the team aim to take a more modern big man that can defend the rim and the perimeter while also scoring inside and outside? Enter PJ Washington out of Kentucky.
Though Washington is generally lower by a few spots on most draft boards, his incredible leap in production from his freshman to sophomore seasons cannot be denied as he upped his per-game and total production in almost all major categories.
Beyond that, he was a truly transformational presence on the court and he almost led his Kentucky Wildcats to the Final Four with an incendiary performance in the Elite Eight:
Washington simply looks the part of a true winner — someone that would help lift the culture of the Atlanta Hawks from “perennial underdog” to “proven badass.”
Though it might seem like a stretch Washington has a higher floor, and potentially a higher ceiling, than Hayes.
#3, #2 — De’Andre Hunter, Jarrett Culver
Now we’re getting into the juiciest fits on the entire 2019 NBA Draft board for the Atlanta Hawks.
Both of these players have long been linked to the Atlanta Hawks due to the fact that they will likely be taken somewhere around the 5th pick (which is where the Hawks currently sit in draft lottery standings). Previously, in our first full mock draft, we had the Hawks selecting Jarrett Culver – a brilliant defender out of Texas Tech at #5 overall.
Then in our second full mock draft, the Atlanta Hawks instead opted for the “safer” pick of De’Andre Hunter out of Virginia, who was the best player on a title-winning team who is locked into a three-and-D archetype that seems to suit him just fine.
However, which player is truly the better fit? Personally, this writer has flip-flopped on this subject, and the choice seems to come down to a whim on most occasions. For this piece, Culver might be the better option: He is younger, has more upside and has a multi-faceted skill set that is set to continue to develop on both ends of the floor for years to come.
Hunter, for his part, immediately comes into the league with an NBA-ready frame, terrific length and proven defensive chops that helped lead Virginia to its first-ever NCAA Championship in school history. Who was he playing against and defending for much of the title game? Culver.
This is a toss-up, but Culver could be a secondary ballhandler alongside Trae Young, which is something that Hunter cannot claim. Culver by a hair.
#1 — Zion Williamson
Our #1 choice for the Atlanta Hawks in the 2019 NBA Draft should not be much of a shock.
Zion Williamson is one of the best NBA prospects in recent memory, rivaling only Anthony Davis and LeBron James in terms of two-way potential in a player’s first season.
Anyone who watched a smidgen of Duke games during the regular season knows just how special Zion is, and we have previously compiled reasons why Zion would be a terrific fit on the Atlanta Hawks.
Of course, all Atlanta sports fans know that most things don’t go right for our teams (the less said about the Falcons’ Super Bowl collapse, the better), so expecting the Atlanta Hawks to win the lottery and take Zion Williamson #1 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft is still a pie-in-the-sky endeavor.
However… The Hawks do have a 10.5 percent chance at nabbing the #1 overall pick, and crazier things have happened in the NBA draft than a team with the 5th-best odds winning the lottery.
Will the ping-pong balls be kind on Tuesday, May 14? Let’s hope so. With a team headlined by Trae Young, Zion Williamson and John Collins the Atlanta Hawks would be the toast of the NBA, and it would all be thanks to the 2019 NBA Draft.
Thanks for reading! As always keep it locked to Soaring Down South as we creep ever closer to the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery.