The Atlanta Hawks have a number of different plays that they can make this offseason. In order for the team to move back up the standings to where they belong, it is going to take a combination of these to be deployed.
They are trying to be very active in the trade market, looking to potentially move up in the draft. They have one of the best assets in the entire league to help this happen in their star John Collins. He is also an incredible asset for the Hawks in their attempts to trade for a star.
However, if the Hawks are not able to make a trade before draft night concludes, they will still be making their selection with the 16th pick in the 2022 NBA draft. They have shown in the past that they are able to identify talent in this section of the draft, and there is no reason to think that it will be any different in this coming draft.
Who are the realistic prospects for the Atlanta Hawks to select in the 2022 NBA Draft?
According to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, the top three prospects for the are the high-energy prospect Tari Eason of LSU, or the very versatile TyTy Washington out of Kentucky. However, there is a third prospect who could have an immediate impact on their defense.
Wasserman suggests that the Hawks could take Jeremy Sochan out of Baylor, a defensively-minded power forward. He suggests that if Sochan is selected by the Hawks then the decision will be made about whether to guarantee Danilo Gallinari’s $21.4 million deal for next season.
Sochan would create a tremendous second unit partnership with Onyeka Okongwu in the frontcourt. If the Hawks manage to bring back Delon Wright then this would be one of the hardest second units to score against.
While Sochan is limited offensively, he has never played with a point guard like Trae Young. All you have to do to score when playing with Young is to cut towards the hoop, usually from the pick and roll. Sochan has shown that he can do this in college, so Young will find him and reward him with an easy bucket near the hoop.