Atlanta Hawks: 4 biggest steals in team draft history

3. Doc Rivers

The Atlanta Hawks selected Doc Rivers out of Marquette with the 31st overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft. Doc Rivers turned out to be a one-time All-Star and one of the greatest point guards in Atlanta Hawks history. In addition to Doc’s impressive playing career, he has also been one of the best coaches in the NBA for two decades now.

In the seven seasons with the Hawks, Rivers averaged 12.6 points, 7.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Along with those impressive numbers, Rivers had shooting splits of .460/.315/.775, pretty solid shooting splits for a point guard in the 80s. He also made his lone All-Star team in his fifth season with the team.

The fact that Doc Rivers was taken 31st and played 13 NBA seasons is super impressive. He was drafted after nine different guys that each played less than 5 seasons in the NBA which bodes well for Rivers. If this draft were to be re-drafted, Doc Rivers would likely go in the lottery, possibly even the top 10.

Overall, Doc Rivers is the third biggest steal in Atlanta Hawks franchise history. He could definitely be argued to be higher if you take his coaching career into account, which I didn’t.