The 2019 NBA Draft will be here before you know it. Let’s explore our final Atlanta Hawks-only mock draft before the big day on June 20.
With the NBA Finals completed in favor of the Toronto Raptors, the next-biggest thing on the NBA calendar is none other than the 2019 NBA Draft. At the present moment, the Atlanta Hawks hold six picks in the draft, but it seems likely that they will not make all of this picks.
In fact, Atlanta Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk confirmed his plans to media last week, proclaiming that his plans for the team’s second round picks is to trade them in order to move up the 2019 NBA Draft board.
With that in mind, coupled with the rumblings that the team has their eye on Texas Tech sophomore Jarrett Culver at the top of the draft, this Atlanta Hawks mock draft saw the following trade completed on draft day:
Now, while that ultimately might look like a stretch, so was trading Taurean-Waller Prince for two future draft picks. With Schlenk at the helm wheeling and dealing, anything can happen.
Also, per a piece from Kevin Pelton of ESPN, his NBA draft pick values were extrapolated by various internet sleuths and the #5 overall pick was afforded a value of 2240. To contrast, the #10, #35 and #41 picks add up to a composite value of 2250. Seems even, right?
Read on to explore the Atlanta Hawks full draft board if they opted to trade up to #5 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
First up is the crown jewel of this potential trade-up for the Atlanta Hawks in the 2019 NBA Draft. After giving up three 2019 NBA Draft picks to the Cleveland Cavaliers in order to nab the #5 overall pick in the draft, the Atlanta Hawks will be able to nab a high-upside, brilliant college performer in the form of Jarrett Culver out of Texas Tech.
Culver led his Red Raiders all the way to the National Championship game, where they were defeated by the team of destiny, the Virginia Cavaliers. Still though, Culver acquitted himself well throughout the tournament and throughout the season – being named the Big 12 Player of the Year in his sophomore season.
Culver was an absolute juggernaut on the defensive end, and though he was listed at 6-foot-5 throughout his sophomore year, he was actually closer to 6-foot-7 in shoes with a good wingspan and excellent frame that lends itself to tacking on more muscle as his career progresses.
A prodigious foul-drawer (6.1 fouls drawn per 40 minutes per KenPom) with the ability to spray the ball around on offense while also attacking the rim at a tremendous rate, Culver’s main goal on the Atlanta Hawks in the short-term would be as an off-ball threat alongside Trae Young who could help smooth out the former’s rough-hewn edges on the less glamorous end.
Culver piloted Texas Tech to the #1 ranked defensive per KenPom, and though his own raw production numbers (steals and blocks) weren’t sky-high, Culver has tremendous feel on that side that would greatly benefit the Atlanta Hawks in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Though trading up isn’t necessarily the best thing for the Hawks, Culver is one of the few players (that will actually be available) worth trading up for this year.
The Atlanta Hawks recently hosted a workout with international prospect Goga Bitadze, and he said all the right things:
Goga Bitadze said he watched a lot of the Hawks when he was overseas. Said he compares his team to Atlanta's -- a young team that runs the floor and plays freely. "Trae Young is a great player and John Collins has hops." Also mentioned Vince Carter and Alex Len by name.
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) June 13, 2019
In previous mock drafts, the Atlanta Hawks have taken a bevy of players with the #8 overall pick. But in this scenario, with their high-upside wing already taken in the form of Culver, the team should opt for an extremely talented young big man in Bitadze.
Bitadze turns 20 in July, meaning he will be on the exact same timeline that Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and John Collins played on in their first seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. Beyond that, Bitadze is a natural, fluid athlete who was often the best player on his teams across the various EuroLeague teams he played for during the season.
Bitadze was so good in the 23.6 minutes per game he played during the season per Tankathon, that the nearly seven-foot big man was given the Rising Star award in the EuroLeague – following in the prodigious footsteps of Luka Doncic and many other big names before him.
Per Tankathon, Goga produced some sterling per-36 minute numbers over 13 games this season: 18.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.8 assists with a 62.2 percent true shooting percentage.
Beyond that, Bitadze was impressive in his workout with the Hawks, so it might be possible that the team takes the plunge on him at #8 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
The one player that has not shifted his spot (at least to this writer) on the Atlanta Hawks 2019 NBA Draft board is Matisse Thybulle out of Washington. A noted savant-level defender, Thybulle produced heretofore unbelievable steals and blocks numbers in his senior season in Washington.
Though the knock on Thybulle’s defensive numbers is always that “his numbers were inflated by playing in a zone defensive scheme,” playing in a zone actually has more utility in today’s NBA that it has in years past.
Just look at the Warriors running a 2-3 zone in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to discover that evidence. Beyond that, per KenPom, Washington’s defensive scheme was actually described as “mostly man,” showing that Thybulle’s omnipresence on the defensive end seemingly allows him to play whatever scheme is most effective for his team.
With tremendous anticipation as well as truly elite athleticism and quickness, Thybulle is one of the most impactful defenders in this draft class alongside surefire #1 overall pick Zion Williamson and burly perimeter stopper De’Andre Hunter of Virginia.
Though it has been covered on SDS before, it’s well worth mentioning again: In his senior season, Thybulle produced 126 steals on a 6.7 percent steal rate along with 82 blocks on an 8.4 percent block rate per Sports Reference. That is just wild production from a defensive standpoint by this senior wing prospect.
Last but not least is the only remaining second round 2019 NBA Draft pick the Atlanta Hawks will have if they actually pull the trigger on trading up for the #5 overall pick.
With the #44 overall pick, the team could opt for this writer’s most beloved second round prospect – one Admiral Schofield – but in this mock draft scenario, the team opts for new blood by taking junior prospect Isaiah Roby out of Nebraska.
With good size and length (6-foot-8, 7-foot-1 wingspan) that he leverages into making impact plays on the defensive end (career 6.7% block rate and 2% steal rate per Sports Reference), Roby portends to be the plug-and-play replacement for the recently departed Taurean Prince.
With a little bit more seasoning on him than other prospects thanks to three years playing for Nebraska in the Big Ten Conference, Roby should be able to provide some solid perimeter defense while hitting his three-point shot at a decent clip (36.9 percent over the past two seasons on over 120 attempts).
Roby did much of his scoring in post-up scenarios in college, which will likely not continue in the Atlanta Hawks more pick-and-roll-friendly offense, but Roby has enough potential to be an interesting flyer in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft.
There you have it! With just a few days until the 2019 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks have a lot of decisions to make. Do you agree with the decision to trade up in this mock scenario? Let us know in the comments or on social media. As always, thanks for reading!