When it came to the 2026 NBA draft, most Atlanta Hawks fans were much more concerned with what the team was going to do with the No. 8 pick than they were with the No. 23 pick.
During most of the draft cycle, the questions were all surrounding who Atlanta was going to end up with among the second tier of players in the class. Once they drafted Kingston Flemmings, focus shifted, but Onsi Saleh was already a step ahead.
Zuby Ejiofor wasn't on most Hawks fans' radars. ESPN's final big board had him at No. 26, The Athletic had him at No. 28, and The Ringer was the lowest at No. 31. Saleh and the Hawks took the chance on the athletic senior from St. John's with their second pick of the first round, and there was some level of scrutiny.
The Ringer gave the pick a C+; the Athletic's first line of analysis was "I didn’t love the team’s second pick". Ejiofor has started to prove all of them wrong already.
The 6'8'' forward didn't play impactful minutes in the Hawks' first few games, but with Jock Landale sidelined with a left hip strain, he has been thrust into the rotation. In Atlanta's 120-105 win against Washington, his impact stood out.
Ejiofor played great and he showed why the Hawks wanted him
Playing in his second full game, Ejiofor had 17 minutes off the bench. He shot 4-for-6 from the field, including 1-for-2 from three, and had 11 points. He grabbed three rebounds, had two assists, and two steals.
The 22-year-old had an extremely impressive +18, the second-highest behind only Dyson Daniels in the game. Ejiorfor was praised for his hustle and work ethic after the game by head coach Quin Snyder as well.
"The way that Zuby plays fits that identity that we're working towards: the competitiveness, the toughness, the focus defensively," Synder praised. The Hawks head coach went on, "He ran the court [and made] all the plays that require energy. And he's just playing hard. He provides that."
Ejiofor hasn't played in five of Atlanta's games so far this season, but his play in the last two games is certainly going to earn him minutes going forward. What he has shown is exactly what Saleh and Snyder were looking for in the draft. In Snyder's post-game presser, he also talked about why Ejiofor was on the Hawks' radar.
"I remember when Onsi first showed me a film of him...he was like, 'Hey, Quin, you've got to watch this guy,'" Snyder recalled. "You saw a guy [on tape] that competes and is physical. Those are really rare and valued qualities. He has got them."
The Hawks' depth in the front court is thin, and it only got thinner after second-round pick Henri Vesaar got injured for the season before it even started.
Ejiofor proving himself early in the season will have a major impact on their depth. Knowing that there is another forward who has all the abilities they are looking for and can play solid rotation minutes will only help as the season goes forward.
Atlanta drafting Ejiofor was not looked upon favorably by draft analysts. The team and the player didn't care, and it's taken just nine games for him to prove why. A player of his quality will be extremely helpful this season.
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