The Atlanta Hawks have started the process of working out players prior to the draft. They are looking at potentially changing up their roster thanks to the early playoff exit and there is a chance that they can do this somewhat through the draft. We took a look at the two guards coming to the pre-draft workout earlier.
Unfortunately the Hawks did not play this season’s rookie enough to see what they had in Jalen Johnson. He did see some playing time towards the end of the season but experienced the worst luck, getting injured just as he started to feel comfortable in the Hawks lineup. Let’s take a look at the four frwards who have been invited.
First cab off the rank is Justin Bean, a 6’7″ forward out of Utah State. Projected to be a late second round pick, if he is drafted at all, Bean has developed into a good shooter who rebounds the ball well. However, on the con side of the ledger he lacks a truly elite first step and also struggles to guard quicker players.
The Atlanta Hawks have three more forwards to work out.
Next cab off the rank is 6’7″ forward Darius Days out of LSU. Days is a solid scorer off the ball who also is a good rebounder for his size. However, he is a streaky shooter who is foul and turnover prone. This is not a great combination for a player looking to make his mark on a playoff team. Days is slated to go late second round or even be undrafted.
Next up is Gaige Prim, a 6’8″ forward out of Missouri State. Prim is another solid off-ball scorer who can rebound and has the ability to be a decent rim protector. Prim certainly has his issues as he has limited range and also has issues scoring against players with length. The forward is slated to possibly go undrafted so might be an option for a two way deal or even the College Park Skyhawks.
The last player who has a workout with the Hawks is Cole Swider, a 6’9″ combination forward out of Syracuse. Swider is a player similar to Johnson with his shooting but is only an adeuate playmaker. He struggles to score in traffic and also does not defend quicker players well. He is also slated to be taken in the second round or to go undrafted.