An in-depth exploration of seven of the best rim finishers in the 2019 NBA Draft that the Atlanta Hawks could take with their five picks across the first and second round.
The Atlanta Hawks will look to continue their trend of drafting high-impact players in recent years in June’s 2019 NBA Draft. With five picks in the team’s coffers (two lottery selections and three second rounders), it seems likely that some trade machinations might take place.
More from Soaring Down South
- Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
- Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
- When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
- Grade the trade: Hawks deal Trae Young to Clippers in shocking proposal
- Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal
Though the 2019 NBA Draft is widely believed to be fairly shallow, Atlanta Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk went on record saying that he and his staff believed this draft to be fairly deep. Perhaps he’s speaking about the tremendous depth in the upper echelon of last year’s draft compared to the more evenly spread out talent after the #1 overall pick in 2019 (looking at you, Zion Williamson).
Surely, Schlenk and the Hawks will be looking to improve the team’s defense both in the backcourt and in the interior, but there is another glaring area of weakness that Atlanta could aim to better in June: Finishing at the rim.
Despite ranking 3rd in the NBA per Cleaning the Glass in at-rim shooting frequency at 39.6 percent, the team ranked 24th in the NBA with a 60.7 percent clip at finishing around the rim. The Atlanta Hawks were the only team in the top 5 in frequency to shoot outside the top 10 in terms of percentage.
Let’s take a look at 7 of the best at-rim finishers the Atlanta Hawks could select in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Jaxson Hayes
Range: Lottery
The best finisher in all of NCAA Men’s Basketball in the 2018-19 season also happens to be one of the most common targets for the Atlanta Hawks in various 2019 NBA Draft mock-ups.
Jaxson Hayes out of Texas produced a staggering 85.4 percent clip in rim finishing per Bart Torvik, which was the best in the nation by nearly 3 percent. Hayes feasted on a steady supply of lobs and putbacks, as his 74 of 75 finishes on dunks would indicate.
According to KenPom, that incredible rim-finishing ability led to Hayes having the 7th-best offensive rating in the country (133.7) alongside the 7th-best two-point field goal percentage in the country at 72.8 percent.
Hayes has been linked to the Atlanta Hawks on numerous occasions in the 2019 NBA Draft at either pick #8 or #10. Beyond his tremendous rim-rolling gravity, Hayes is very young, has terrific measurables and also has plenty of room to improve and hone his game with the Hawks.
Hayes picked up basketball late after sprouting upwards of eight inches in height in high school, and he would use his training as a receiver in high school to be a preeminent lob catcher via the brilliant passing of Trae Young (who is already one of the best passers in the NBA).
On defense, Hayes was a shot-blocking machine, meaning he would help paper over some of the concerns about John Collins’s length on the defensive end going forward.
Brandon Clarke
Range: Lottery
Another player that has been previously linked to the Atlanta Hawks in the 2019 NBA Draft is Brandon Clarke out of Gonzaga. Though Clarke will turn 23 in September (ancient by today’s NBA draft standards in which the top prospects are only 18), he produced one of the best college seasons of all time in 2018-19 with the Zags.
If not for the all-encompassing dominance of Zion, Clarke would have produced the highest recorded Player Efficiency Rating in Sports Reference’s database with a 37.2. Just for reference, Zion finished with an absurd 40.8! Much of Clarke’s efficiency comes from his terrific touch in two-point scoring, and particularly, around the rim.
Per Bart Torvik, Clarke finished with a 79.3 percent clip around the rim, which ranked 13th in the country. Again, like Hayes, Clarke’s numbers were buoyed by a near-perfect showing on dunks (60 of 61).
A truly brilliant vertical athlete, Clarke showcased fluid athleticism and a striking second jump ability that serves to counteract his relative lack of length. At 6-foot-8, Clarke’s wingspan is about neutral, which is less than ideal for a big man in today’s NBA. Still though, his defensive instincts and anticipation make it clear that he is a deserving lottery pick and a difference-maker on the less glamorous end.
It is also obvious that his lack of length did not really impact Clarke’s ability to finish around the rim in the slightest – meaning that the Atlanta Hawks should deeply consider selecting Clarke in the lottery of the 2019 NBA Draft to improve their at-rim finishing next season.
Matisse Thybulle
Range: Middle First Round
We have previously linked the Atlanta Hawks to defensive virtuoso Matisse Thybulle out of Washington as a potential sleeper pick for the team, while also outlining a few reasons why Thybulle to the Hawks would make sense.
In this article, another reason to select Thybulle is his excellent finishing ability around the rim. You’ll notice that this list is dominated by big men, as it is usually easier for them to get off shots around the rim due to their size, length or footwork. As such, it always harder for a guard in the paint than a big.
Thybulle is more of a swingman than a guard, as Washington’s zone defense meant that Thybulle was able to freelance on defense, but his at-rim finishing was special either way. Per Bart Torvik, Thybulle was 35th in the country in at-rim finishing at 75.9 percent (including 39 of 41 on dunks).
How did a 6-foot-5 lithe athlete like Thybulle who did not run much offense on his own get up 79 at-rim attempts? It’s likely tied to his defense.
Thybulle produced striking steals numbers in the 2018-19 season per Sports Reference. He was first in steals per game (3.5) and total steals (126). Many of those steals led to breakaway dunks or layups, which is certainly promising for his rim finishing at the next level.
Even when he was defended, Thybulle’s highly underrated athleticism allowed him to power through defenders with his strong core and lower body.
An amazing defender with terrific finishing ability sounds like a great fit for the Atlanta Hawks, and they should seriously consider taking Thybulle wherever they can in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Dylan Windler
Range: Late First Round, Early Second Round
It seems unlikely that Dylan Windler of Belmont will still be available when the Atlanta Hawks select in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft at #35 overall, though certainly stranger things have happened in NBA draft history.
Windler erupted onto the stage rather late on the prospective draft prospect stage in the 2018-19 season, but the timing was fortuitous. Right as Windler was getting some hype from draft outlets, he led his Belmont Bruins to a First Four NCAA Tournament win and followed that up by dropping 35 points and 11 boards in a first-round loss to the Maryland Terrapins.
Though rather thin, Windler’s 6-foot-8 height allows him to get his versatile jump shot off against most defenders, and Windler was also a terrific finisher in the 2018-19 season. Though only 35.3 percent of his shots came at the rim, per Bart Torvik, Windler finished at the rim at a 74.3 percent clip, which ranked 50th in the country.
That is a promising number, but more promising than just his rim finishing is Windler’s overall scoring efficiency. Windler flirted with a 50-40-90 campaign in his senior season at Belmont, just falling short by shooting 84.7 percent from the line.
Beyond that, over half of Windler’s shots came from three-point territory, where he shot a rock-solid 43 percent per Bart Torvik. Windler was comfortable off the dribble or off the catch, and when combined with his good size and rim finishing ability, you have the making of an extremely attractive target for the Atlanta Hawks in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Charles Bassey
Range: Second Round
A vaunted recruit out of high school, Charles Bassey opted to play his lone freshman season at Western Kentucky in Conference USA. That move paid off for Bassey, as he clobbered the conference en route to winning the Conference’s Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards while being named to the conference’s All-Rookie, All-Defense and All-Conference teams. Not bad for a player who won’t turn 19 until late October!
As a 6-foot-10, 239-pound big man, finishing at the rim was one of Bassey’s calling cards in the 2018-19 season. According to Bart Torvik, Bassey finished 22nd in the country in at-rim finishing with a 77.7 percent clip. Those shots accounted for 58.1 percent of his total shooting profile to boot.
Bassey has the requisite length (7-foot-3½ wingspan) to finish shots at the rim around defenders, and Bassey also employs that length on defense.
Per KenPom’s player profile, Bassey’s brilliant finishing ability at the rim led to him having the 26th-ranked effective field goal percentage in the country at 64.2 percent alongside the 17th-ranked true shooting percentage at 67.3 percent.
Bassey shot 76.9 percent from the line in his freshman season on nearly 150 attempts while also drilling 9 of 20 three-pointers (45 percent) per Sports Reference.
The issue for Bassey is whether or not he can hang on the defensive end as a modern NBA five. Sure, he has the requisite length and height to protect the rim, but is he savvy enough to switch on the perimeter?
Ground-bound centers are slowly being weeded out of the league, but the Atlanta Hawks should still ponder selecting Bassey as a young, high-upside play in the second round if he’s available.
Obi Toppin
Range: Late Second Round, Undrafted
A rather unheralded prospect, Obi Toppin of the Dayton Flyers produced a tremendous freshman campaign, which led to him being named the A-10 Conference Rookie of the Year while being named to the All-Conference and All-Rookie teams.
Beyond that, Toppin’s chiseled 6-foot-9, 220-pound frame looks NBA-ready right now. After undergoing NBA-level strength training, it seems that he would be able to immediately impact the game on both ends going forward. That’s why it is strange that he is not featured on many draft boards at this juncture.
For the merits of this article, Toppin was one of the best rim finishers in the country in the 2018-19 season – ranking 12th with a sterling 80 percent clip around the rim on 61.3 percent frequency per Bart Torvik.
Toppin mostly relied on his strength to finish at the rim, leading to a Dayton school record 83 dunks. Though the majority of Toppin’s scoring came around the rim, his overall scoring numbers were a picture of efficiency.
Per KenPom, Toppin ranked 6th in the country in effective field goal percentage (68.4%), 8th in true shooting percentage (69.2%) and 28th in two-point field goal percentage (67.6%). Though a flawed stat, Toppin was also #1 in Sports Reference’s offensive rating in the A-10 at 123.2.
Toppin is not getting a ton of draft buzz, and with the deadline for rescinding names from the draft coming soon, Toppin might pull out. If he does not, however, the Atlanta Hawks could have a steal on their hands in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft or via an undrafted Two-Way Contract.
Tacko Fall
Range: Late Second Round, Undrafted
As one would expect of a player that would rank as the tied with Manute Bol for the tallest in NBA history at 7-foot-7, Tacko Fall of UCF was a brilliant finisher at the rim in his senior season.
Per Bart Torvik, Fall shot 81.1 percent at the rim on an 82 percent rim attempt rate in his senior season and went 88 of 89 on dunks. Those 88 dunks were tops in the country. Of course, when you have “cheat code” length of an 8-foot-2½ wingspan, finishing at the rim becomes something of a formality.
Fall came into his senior season as something of a curio, but he has truly grown by leaps and bounds with his conditioning, coordination and lower body strength to the point that he his length could actually make a legitimate impact at the NBA level (for the Hawks to boot).
Any player that can actually use that ridiculous length to finish so well around the rim while being a foul magnet (79.1% free throw attempt rate was 6th in the country per KenPom) is likely to make an impact on a limited-minute basis in the NBA.
Beyond that, according to KenPom, Fall was 1st in effective field goal percentage (74.8%), 5th in two-point field goal percentage (74.8%) and 14th in block rate (11.5%) in his senior season.
Though there are seismically vast issues with his free throw shooting form, Fall would make for a scintillating selection for the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft as something of a trump card on the defensive end – and a brilliant finisher on offense thanks to legendary height and length.
Are you hyped for the 2019 NBA Draft for the Atlanta Hawks? You know we at Soaring Down South are, so keep it locked here for plenty more draft coverage and news. Thanks for reading!