Why the Atlanta Hawks Should Draft Anthony Edwards
1. Positional fit
As mentioned in the intro, this is the reason most draw a line between Edwards and the Hawks. The Hawks have their point guard set with Trae Young, two solid-looking small forwards in Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter, and have a full frontcourt as well, with John Collins, Clint Capela, and Dewayne Dedmon all set for big minutes.
Kevin Huerter is a very solid two-guard, but he projects to be a better bench piece than a starter, giving the Hawks a hole there. The 6-foot-5 Edwards can slide right in and provide energetic play on both ends.
2. Defensive backcourt balance
The Hawks need to find a stout guard defender to help offset Trae’s downfalls in this department, and Edwards can be that guy. He flashed tremendous one-on-one defense in Athens, even if he needs to work on his team D/ Communication early on.
Shifty feet and strong hands will make him a hard matchup for even the best offensive players as a rookie, alleviating the pressure Trae and the rest of the Hawks’ defense felt these past few seasons.
3. Bucket-getter
Often times – especially late in games – Trae Young was tasked with creating his own look due to the team lacking a true secondary scorer. Edwards has pro-ready shot creation skills and isn’t afraid to attack in isolation.
He can pull up from three, stop on a dime and fire from mid-range and finish around the rim with a variety of moves.
His efficiency (which we’ll get to) wasn’t great as he was asked to do too much for a lackluster Georgia team, but his ability to get open and shoot is easily atop of this draft class. With combo-guard-like capabilities, Edwards could be trusted to create a solid look for himself whenever Trae needs a possession off.