Looking at Atlanta Hawks Draft prospect James Wiseman. The Hawks have the fourth-best odds in this year’s draft and they’ll be taking a hard look at Wiseman.
In continuing with our draft profiles, James Wiseman is certainly a player the Atlanta Hawks could find themselves drafting this off-season. Wherever the Hawks pick lands, which will likely be in the top five, they should strongly be considering take Wiseman.
Wiseman was the number one overall recruit on the ESPN top 100 out of high school. After committing to play for his hometown Memphis Tigers, Wiseman played just three games for the team before being suspended by the NCAA and eventually dropping out to prepare for the NBA Draft.
While Wiseman only played three games, he looked incredible in those games. He boasted averages of 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 76.9% from the field and 70.4% from the free-throw line.
Wiseman is an elite defensive big-man that has the ability to block shots, play post-defense and switch onto smaller players due to his high degree of athleticism. On the offensive end, Wiseman shows incredible touch around the basket and plays to his strengths in the fact that he shot just one three at Memphis… and missed.
He will be the backbone of an NBA defense and can provide amazing pick and roll defense, two things the Atlanta Hawks could benefit from significantly. If the Hawks don’t see Clint Capela as the long term center, James Wiseman makes so much sense next to John Collins.
James Wiseman was incredibly impressive in high school and in his limited time at Memphis, but he doesn’t go without his flaws.
The first obvious red flag for NBA teams is the obvious fact that he only played three games in college. It’s difficult to get all the information you need on a guy from such a small sample size. Additionally, Wiseman is still incredibly raw, he has all the physical tools to thrive in the NBA, however, it may take him some time to get adjusted to the size and physicality of his opponents.
The fact that there are so many unknowns with Wiseman will likely keep him outside of the top three, which bodes well for the Hawks. Atlanta, as mentioned, currently own the fourth-best lottery odds and will likely be in a great position to draft Wiseman if they feel he’s a fit.
Considering the fact that the Hawks were one of the worst defensive teams in the league and lack a long-term solution at center, James Wiseman makes a lot of sense. We’ll just have to wait and see if the Atlanta Hawks feel the same way.