The Atlanta Hawks have one of the best young cores in the NBA. They are led by John Collins and Trae Young who are ably supported by the likes of Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari, Delon Wright, and the hometown hero Sweet Lou Williams.
However, they have a number of young prospects who have the potential to be anything in the league. Now that Cam Reddish has been traded to the New York Knicks the Hawks have one less prospect that they need to develop. Still, the ones that they have left are certainly very interesting.
Of this year’s rookies, Jalen Johnson appears to be the best prospect for the Hawks given how many different ways that he can influence the game. At the other end of the spectrum of young prospects is Kevin Huerter who still has yet to show his true potential as he is always being used where the Hawks need him. He is such a true Nate McMillan type of player in that regard.
So which Atlanta Hawks player is rated their brightest prospect?
According to B/R writer Dan Favale, it is a toss-up between De’Andre Hunter and Onyeka Okongwu. Both of these players have such a tremendous future in the league but both of them have also had issues with injuries and other factors which have kept them out of a large number of games.
Hunter has been in the league a year longer than Okongwu and is more established in the Hawks lineup, given that he is a starter. He has shown such growth over the three seasons that he has been in the league but there is still that question mark over how far he can go.
Favale rates Okongwu a better prospect as he has the ability to defend every position on the court. Opponents shoot the ball six percent lower than their season number when defended by Okongwu. He has taken on some of the biggest names in the league and more than held his own.
The sophomore is also starting to unleash his offense on the league as well. He was already proficient in the pick and roll, but he is also starting to generate more of his own shots as well. This is making him incredibly hard to guard and shows that there is plenty more growth for the second year man.