Atlanta Hawks: 4 worst draft picks the team has ever made
By Nate Friesen
3. Adreian Payne
The Atlanta Hawks selected Adreian Payne out of Michigan State with the 15th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Payne was a 6’10 power forward that had an incredible college career but unfortunately couldn’t find his footing in the NBA.
Adreian Payne played in just four NBA seasons and only played in three games with the Atlanta Hawks. For his NBA career, Payne averaged just 4.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Again, not the type of production you would like to see from your top draft pick. After just three games the Hawks had clearly seen enough because they quickly traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Unfortunately for Adreian Payne and the Atlanta Hawks, his draft selection was sandwiched in between a lot of really good NBA players. Guys like Zach Lavine, T.J. Warren, Jusuf Nurkić, Gary Harris and Clint Capela were all selected right around the same time as Payne.
As I mentioned, Adreian Payne was an amazing college player. In his senior season at Michigan State, he averaged 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Unfortunately for Payne and for the Atlanta Hawks, his skillset never translated to the NBA. Leaving Payne as one of the worst picks in Atlanta Hawks history.