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2020 NBA Draft: Should Atlanta Hawks Use Top Pick on Trae’s Backup?

By Dallin Duffy

WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 25: Lamelo Ball of the Hawks drives to the basket during the round 8 NBL match between the Illawarra Hawks and the Cairns Taipans at WIN Entertainment Centre on November 25, 2019 in Wollongong, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 25: Lamelo Ball of the Hawks drives to the basket during the round 8 NBL match between the Illawarra Hawks and the Cairns Taipans at WIN Entertainment Centre on November 25, 2019 in Wollongong, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images) /
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Should the Atlanta Hawks draft a backup point guard with their top-pick?

When the NBA’s Board of Governors voted to approve the 22-team relaunch in Orlando on Wednesday, the Atlanta Hawks’ season came to an end. Many fans (including myself) were disappointed by the news, but the Hawks were never going to be true title contenders anyway.

Now, Atlanta gets to focus fully on its off-season, which should be a very busy, and important one. With the bottom eight teams eliminated from playoff contention, the Hawks were also locked into the fourth-best lottery-odds, giving them nearly a 50-percent chance of winning a top-four pick.

With the NBA also announcing October 15th as draft night, the Hawks will have a good amount of time to scout the upcoming pool of players. It’s an interesting class that is chock-full of point guard talent, which just so happens to be the one position the Hawks are set at.

Trae Young is undoubtedly the teams’ future and given his size, isn’t someone who’d easily slide to the two-guard spot. If the Hawks do take a point guard early in the draft, they’d be doing so to find Young a long-term backup. Is that such a bad idea?

LaMelo Ball, Killian Hayes, Tyrese Haliburton, and Cole Anthony are all likely to be top-ten picks and would make for great choices to play behind and/or alongside Young.

The rest of the early lottery is made up of Anthony Edwards (likely to go first overall) and bigs, which the Hawks don’t really need either with John Collins, Clint Capela, Bruno Fernando, and Dewayne Dedmon all set to get solid playtime. Only one forward – Deni Advija – is likely to go in the top-eight, and many mocks have the Hawks taking him.

If they want to find a solid backup point, however, now might the best time to do so. The free agency market is near-barren when it comes to one-guards, and  Brandon Goodwin, the Hawks only other point guard under contract, shouldn’t be considered a long-term play.

If they hit on the pick, they would get at least three years of a cheap talent that could set the Hawks over the edge. Atlanta has the talent, they just need depth.

As for which young point they should take, each of the four mentioned above brings something different to the table. All have upside and could work well in Lloyd Pierce’s scheme.

At 6-foot-7, LaMelo Ball is more of a point forward and is likely to be the best passer in the class. Tyrese Haliburton is a high motor, two-way quarterback with a near pro-ready IQ. Killian Hayes is a raw international prospect who can score inside and out with ease. Cole Anthony is a shoot-first point who could be a fantastic volume scorer.

It’s just one of many questions the Hawks’ front office will have to answer during the off-season.

dark. Next. Mock Draft 3.0

Should the Atlanta Hawks draft a point guard?