The Atlanta Hawks are likely putting the final preparations together as they get set for the 2021 NBA Draft on Thursday. Despite not picking until 20th overall, the Hawks have been mentioned repeatedly in rumors regarding moving up for prospects to “reset” the clock on some of their controllable depth.
To take it a step further, we’ve also wondered if they could be interested in the Warriors seventh-overall pick, which they’ve been reportedly interested in moving it.
We also can’t ignore some of the needs we’ve laid out for them in the past.
The need for a secondary playmaker is only rivaled by a need for defense at the point of attack. Luckily, or perhaps cruelly considering where he is projected to go, there is a player in this class that could not only fill both needs but also make the Hawks backcourt the most exciting.
The Atlanta Hawks would boast the NBA’s most exciting backcourt if they somehow drafted Jalen Suggs
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Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs is the top point guard in the draft. Some, however, view him as more of a combo guard due to never really being relied upon to be a floor general.
Suggs averaged 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game for the Zags during the regular season and stepped his production up at each stage.
He averaged 19.0/6.0/4.0 in his conference tourney and had 23 points on 53 percent shooting in the National Championship.
Most notably, he hit a 30-foot buzzer-beater to send Gonzaga to the championship.
But Suggs’ athleticism would bring a nice change of pace to the Hawks behind Trae Young to begin and, next to him, his defense becomes equally as intriguing.
Really enjoyed chatting with projected top-4 pick Jalen Suggs on @NBATheJump today. What can he bring to the NBA? Where specifically did his football instincts help him on the basketball court? pic.twitter.com/cKqdrdqPOW
— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) July 27, 2021
At 6-foot-4, Suggs is a bigger point guard and would fare just fine at shooting guard with his 6-foot-6 wingspan. He also averaged 1.9 steals last season for the Bulldogs. And, going back to his offense, was second on the team in usage rate which bodes well with the high-usage Young starring.
That’s all rose-tinted though. There is little to no chance Suggs gets past the Toronto Raptors with the fourth-overall pick. If he did, it’s still not a given the guard-heavy Magic or Thunder (who are also rumored to be interested in “resetting the clock”) wouldn’t pounce.
But a slide is possible with almost any prospect. If one were to happen for Suggs, he would join the list of prospects worth making a move up for, despite the substantial cost.