Reacting to several NBA mock Drafts involving the Atlanta Hawks.
Today was supposed to be one of the best days of the year. The 2020 NBA Draft, Christmas Day for non-playoff teams like the Atlanta Hawks was supposed to take place on June 25th but has been pushed back until after the league’s reboot in Orlando.
October 16th is the new date, with free agency starting the very next day. The wait is now just under four months for Atlanta Hawks fans to see who will join the team. Unless they trade it away, Atlanta will have a top-ten pick for the third straight year, and they’re locked into the fourth-best lottery odds at the moment.
In honor of what was supposed to be draft day, we’ll be browsing the internet to see how mock drafts see the Hawks’ October night turning out.
NBA Mock Draft Digest:
James Ham, NBC Sports
Atlanta Hawks pick: sixth
Players off the board: Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Onyeka Oknogwu, James Wiseman, Obi Toppin.
The Pick: Deni Advija, SF, Maccabi Tel-Aviv
My reaction: Obviously falling to the sixth pick (Ham did a tankathon simulation of the lottery, as did a few others) isn’t ideal, but some of the players taken ahead of Atlanta like Oknogwu and Obi Toppin likely don’t fit with the Hawks anyway, so it works out.
Advija is probably the best wing left on the board but I think there are some better fits for Atlanta than him left. The Hawks need a secondary playmaker on offense and a perimeter stopper on defense. Advija can be a good player in the league but he likely won’t help the Hawks in either of those categories.
Matt Norlander, CBS Sports
Atlanta Hawks pick: fourth
Players off the board: Toppin, Wiseman, Killian Hayes.
The Pick: Anthony Edwards, SG, Georgia
My reaction: While I’m lukewarm on Edwards as a prospect overall, I do see the potential fit in Atlanta and the Georgia connection makes a lot of sense. The main hope is that his shooting efficiency can go way up when he’s catching passes from Trae and not creating his own looks.
Maurice Bobb, Bleacher Report
Atlanta Hawks pick: fourth
Players off the board: Wiseman, Ball, Edwards
The Pick: Obi Toppin, PF, Dayton
My Reaction: I hate this pick. I’m very low on Obi Toppin as a prospect and even lower on his fit in Atlanta. If he reaches his peak in the NBA (which is far from a sure thing) he’s essentially another John Collins, one that actually might be worse on defense.
Forget the lottery, forget even the first round – Toppin might be the worst defender in this draft class and at age 22, there’s not much room for improvement.
Dylan Jackson, Dunking with Wolves
Atlanta Hawks pick: sixth
Players off the board: Tyrese Haliburton, Wiseman, Edwards, Okongwu, Ball
The Pick: Devin Vassell, SG, Florida State
My Reaction: Vassell doesn’t give the Hawks a backcourt playmaker, but another 3-and-D wing to put next to Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter. He has an incredibly high floor and will almost certainly be a great team defender in the league from day one. It might be a bit of a reach, but I like it nonetheless.
Gary Parrish, CBS Sports
Atlanta Hawks pick: fourth
Players off the board: Ball, Toppin, Edwards
The Pick: James Wiseman, C, Memphis
My Reaction: I do like James Wiseman’s ceiling but question the fit in Atlanta. The Hawks have three centers already under contract in Clint Capela, Dewayne Dedmon, and Bruno Fernando, a second-round pick in last year’s draft.
There seems to be less and less consensus on not only who the Atlanta Hawks should take, but the 2020 NBA draft class in general. It’s a pretty weak class and there are probably 20 or so names that could be taken in the top-ten, maybe more.
In that regard, it can be seen as a good thing that the draft won’t be for months into the future, as the Atlanta Hawks will have tons of time to decide what to do with their pick.