Atlanta Hawks’ Best Draft Picks of the Decade

Highlighting the best Atlanta Hawks draft selections of the 2010’s.

For a team that had success while mostly staying away from free agency, the draft has always been important to the Atlanta Hawks.

However, the NBA draft is such a crap shoot that even the best drafting teams miss more than they hit.

Fortunately, Atlanta has had a pretty good decade of drafting – especially as of late – and we’ll be taking the time to highlight some of their best picks of the 2010’s.

2012 – Mike Scott

Scott was taken in the 2nd round of the 2012 Draft by the Hawks, going on to appear in 281 games for the team.

The forward was never a game-changing talent, but for a 2nd-rounder, Scott provided solid impact on both ends of the court. In his 5 seasons with Atlanta, Scott averaged 7.1 points per game, shooting just under 50% from the field.

He’s apart of a very impressive 2012 2nd round draft class, which also included Draymond Green, Jae Crowder, Khris Middleton, Kyle O’Quinn, Will Barton and Tomáš Satoranský.

He was traded to the Suns in 2017 after slowly moving out of the rotation, but has re-established himself as a member of the Wizards and currently the 76ers.

2013 – Dennis Schröder

The 2013 NBA Draft is now infamous for it’s deep list of busts. Guys like Anthony Bennett, Nerlens Noel, and Ben McLemore all failed to live up to their top-10 pick status. The teens however were a bit better, bringing reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo into the league at pick15, and two picks later, Dennis Schröder.

The German point guard contributed right away on a very talented Hawks team, and just a few years later was a fantastic 6th man backing up Jeff Teague.

The Hawks eventually decided to move on from Teague, giving Schröder the keys to the car. He held the starting 1 spot until two years later when they decided to move on again, drafting Trae Young in 2018.

In those two seasons as the starter, Dennis was an offensive force, averaging 18.6 points and 6.3 assists per game.

He was an unfortunate causality of the Hawks’ rebuild, and has since found success as a 6th man again, this time for the Thunder.

2016 – Taurean Prince

Prince was the Atlanta Hawks’ first lottery pick since Al Horford in 2007, but failed to reach the success of the Hawks’ former center.

Prince showed his potential as a wing scorer in his three years in Atlanta, and was probably the Hawks’ best all around player in the 2017-2018 season.

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He was able to work his way into the starting lineup in his rookie season for a Hawks team that was still competitive, and then started all 82 games the next season.

The 12th overall pick’s production fell off a bit in the ’18-’19 season, and with John Collins, Trae Young and Kevin Huerter (all coming up soon on the list) looking like more firm building blocks for the future, Prince was traded to the Nets.

He’ll be remembered for the final two months of the ’17-’18 season wherein he averaged nearly 20 points per game, shooting over 40% from three.

2017 – John Collins

John Collins is truly among the best players to come out of the 2017 NBA Draft, and for the 19th overall pick, that’s great.

Collins was eased into the league, coming off the bench for a good part of his rookie season, in which he was still able to make the All-Rookie 2nd team.

His breakout came in his sophomore season last year, when he averaged 19.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, transitioning into one of the league’s best rim runners.

Collins’ development was unfortunately stunted when he tested positive for PEDs earlier this season, playing just 5 games before being hit with a 25 game suspension.

He played well in those 5 games at least, and those, combined with last season’s brilliance, shows there’s no reason JC shouldn’t be starring in the ATL once again post-suspension.

2018 – Trae Young

Ice Trae was technically not drafted by the Hawks, but draft-day trades are basically official selections.

After a few rough months to start his career, Trae turned a corner, starting a very impressive offensive run that has still not ended.

He’s averaging nearly 30 points per game this current season, Young is one of the best scorers in the league, not to mention his passing, which might be even better.

His insane range for the three is complimented by his ability to blow past defenders, leading to a smooth floater or dump off pass.

Trae came in 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting last season, and his career-long battle with Luka Doncic will be a fun one to watch.

2018 – Kevin Huerter

I would be remorse if I left of Trae Young’s back court partner in crime off the list.

Drafted 14 picks after Trae, Huerter shares the ability as a three-point marksmen, and is already a premier catch-and-shoot artist.

Injuries have bounced him on and off the court this season, but haven’t hurt his career 38% mark from three point land.

He has the intelligent play of a multi-year vet, perhaps his best asset outside his deadly three.

Him, Trae Young and John Collins should be a distinguished trio in Atlanta for years to come.

That’s the list. Hopefully Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter and even Bruno Fernando will deserve to be on this list soon enough, but for now their grades are incomplete.

Stay tuned to Soaring Down South for more decade content.