2019 NBA Draft: Full Mock Draft 4.0, Atlanta Hawks Trade Down to Pick at 8, 14 & 22, Lakers Trade #4

Now we get to the first pick in the 2019 NBA Draft that the Atlanta Hawks acquired from the Boston Celtics by trading down with the 10th overall pick.

The Atlanta Hawks desperately need an infusion of defensive talent in the backcourt, which is why the team might “reach” here for senior guard Matisse Thybulle out of Washington.

We have previously been high on Thybulle – providing a few reasons why drafting him makes sense, outlining his sleeper status among his peers in the 2019 NBA Draft, as well as exploring his brilliant at-rim finishing in his senior season.

Thybulle is a true defensive menace, and he is the only player in NCAA Men’s Basketball history to produce 100 total steals and 80 total blocks in a season – at least in Sports Reference’s database, which dates back to 1992-93.

Furthermore, Thybulle produced a career 35.8 percent three-point shooter on a 52 percent career three-point attempt rate in college; however, his sterling 85.1 percent clip from the free throw line in his senior (78.1 percent in his four-year college career) is a better harbinger for Thybulle’s likely role in the NBA as a catch-and-shoot threat on offense.

Certainly, taking Thybulle in the lottery will be seen as something of a reach – especially for a player that might not have the ceiling that many of his draft mates possess. None of that matters – Thybullle is a difference-maker who knows how to leverage his excellent athleticism and shocking explosiveness into transcendent defensive plays.

Thybulle’s brilliant defensive acumen is exactly what the Atlanta Hawks need going forward.