Atlanta Hawks NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Killian Tillie

Scouting Gonzaga forward Killian Tillie and his potential fit with the Atlanta Hawks.

The Atlanta Hawks have just over four months to prepare for the 2020 NBA Draft, which is now scheduled to take place on October 15th.

Say what you will about the 2020 draft class, but one thing you have to notice is just how young it is. There are a few players likely to go in the top-ten that are still 18 and just one upperclassmen (Paul Reed) went in the first round of my last mock.

Only a few seniors are expected to be drafted at all, with Gonzaga’s Killian Tillie in the running to be the first one drafted.

Scouts continued to be impressed by Tillie’s talent and pro-ready basketball IQ. In his final season in Spokane, the 6’10 forward averaged 13.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game in a fairly low 24.6 minutes per game.

He shot 53 percent from the field, 40 percent from three, and has a soft touch on his shot inside and out.

Red flags start to come up when looking at his age (he’ll be 23 by the time his rookie season is over) and injury history, with Tillie missing more than a handful of games in his final two collegiate seasons.

After fairly healthy freshman and sophomore seasons, Tillie missed all but 15 games as a junior, dealing with a barrage of nagging injuries before a partially torn plantar Fascia cost him the rest of the regular season.

As a senior, Tillie played through frequent ankle sprains that led to him missing nine total games and keeping his minutes played low.

His success as an NBA player is just about completely reliant on his health, with Tillie possessing the talent to be a rotational player for years to come. He could be a very good two-way playmaker with a floor-stretching three that’s perfect for the modern NBA.

Fit with the Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks have a nearly full frontcourt with John Collins, Dewayne Dedmon, Clint Capela, and Bruno Fernando all under contract for next season, but Tillie could be a steal if he drops to the 52nd pick that Atlanta owns.

They have been among the worst three-point shooting teams in the league in recent years and that’s partially due to a lack of a true floor-spacing big, although Collins did make strides from there down the stretch last season.

Tillie can come in and help fix that, and perhaps if he’s asked to do less at the next level than he was as a team-leader in college, he could stay healthy.

His defense should translate nicely as well and the pick would give the Hawks solid depth, even if he spends some time in the G-League early on to get his feet under him.

Should the Atlanta Hawks target Killian Tillie?