Atlanta deserved another shot at a top-ten pick after what they experienced in 2024. While they aren't getting an exact redo of their underwhelming top selection, they get a perfect chance to right their wrongs at pick eight this year. Zaccharie Risacher lost his spot in the rotation towards the end of last season, and whoever they draft this year will likely replace him. Permanently.
This draft class is beyond stacked. There's a strong case to be made that the eighth-best player in this pool could have a higher ceiling than the best from two years ago. That's an indictment on how weak that class was, and of course, Atlanta ended up with the first pick that year.
It's up to them to understand their luck and let it fuel their decisions
It seems that only the Hawks would get the misfortune of acheiving top pick status in the year sandwiched between Victor Wembanyama and Cooper Flagg. Risacher has a chance to develop into a quality rotation player at some point in his career, but his lack of progression in year two allows Atlanta to explore how they're going to move forward.
This year's draft gives them a golden opportunity to do so. There's a plethora of guards slated to be available when they make their first selection, as well as impressive depth pieces around the range of their second selection. One of these guys should end up as a steal. It's difficult to miss twice.
The stark contrast between the top eight of this draft and the top eight of the 2024 class is telling. Even just comparing the top three, the difference is clear.
Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr and Reed Sheppard simply don't compare to AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer. Even Caleb Wilson, who's projected to be the fourth pick in this year's draft, would unquestionably be the first pick in 2024.
The realistic targets would finally let them correct their massive mistake
Kingston Flemings, Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown Jr. and Aday Mara are all expected to be considered by the Hawks as the draft inches closer. After the first four selections are made, the rest of the order is impossible to predict. It could end up going a variety of ways.
It's a guard-heavy class, sure, but there are several quality bigs and forwards Atlanta could either evaluate with their first selection, grab at pick 23, or make a trade-up/trade-back for. General Manager Onsi Saleh is exactly where he wants to be; high up in a quality draft with a world of optionality in his hands.
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