The Atlanta Hawks are a team going places. They have a really nice mix of veterans who surround a young core of Trae Young, John Collins, and thanks to a solid trade, Dejounte Murray. The best part of this core is that they are no longer considered to be up and coming according to Bleacher Report, they have arrived.
So, who does B/R rate as the best young prospect on the Hawks squad? Well, the best young prospect on the squad is none other than Onyeka Okongwu. The No. 6 pick in the 2020 NBA draft has had a chequered start to his career due to injury, including missing the first part of the 2021-22 season due to shoulder surgery.
Still, that did not hold him back last season when he came back. There have been calls for Okongwu to start over Clint Capela. The problem for the Hawks was they extended Capela and were unable to trade him until this offseason. However, it is going to take an incredibly beneficial trade for the Hawks to move on from their starting big man.
Who are the Atlanta Hawks other two top prospects under the age of 23?
Well, the next prospect is such in every way of the word. Johnson was the Hawks first-round draft choice of the 2021 NBA draft. Due to last season being one where the Hawks wanted to compete, not develop players, Johnson spent most of his rookie season developing on the G League.
Then he started to come along towards the end of the season when Collins was out due to injury. Unfortunately for Johnson and the Hawks, his luck ran out at the end of the season where he also injured himself. The best news is that he is only 18 years old, he has so many more years of development ahead of him.
The third prospect that B/R rates is this year’s first-round draft choice, AJ Griffin. The Hawks had originally thought of trading up to get their man but he fell to them. He has the chance of being the best 3-point shooter in his class. Let’s hope that he gets the playing time needed to develop in the next couple of seasons.