Even with the three-team trade that sent stretch five Kristaps Porzingis to the ATL, Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh will surely be looking to fortify the middle.
Enter former Penn State and Northern Illinois center Yanic Konan Niederhauser to the conversation. He’s a bit of a late bloomer, averaging 7.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game during his sophomore season with the Huskies before transferring to Penn State. Stepping in as the Nittany Lions’ starting center for 29 games, he upped his game to 12.9 points and 6.3 boards per night.
Niederhauser, a 7-footer from Fraschels, Switzerland who weighs 250 pounds, lit up the pre-draft process. His skillset as an above-the-rim threat was obvious to all who could see.
NBA draft analyst Mike Garcia of lakersdraft.substack.com was on Tuesday’s episode of Buha’s Block, where he discussed the Swiss product extensively.
“[Yanic] did show out well in the Combine athletically,” Garcia said. “But more importantly, it showed during the game time footage when they actually had their scrimmages. After the first couple of games, he was basically the best player on the floor. He was clearly the lob threat, he got enough rebounds, he had some presence defensively…Back then [during the Combine], he was projected as a late second [rounder], or not even mocked. That's the kind of guy I would take [in the] early second [round]. Done. He had his combine, and he goes up 20 spots [on the board], there he goes.”
Despite Penn State limping to a underwhelming 16-15 record in 2024, Neiderhauser was among the team’s steadiest presences. When PSU was looking to snap a five-game road losing streak, they turned to the Swiss big, who tallied 24 points and 7 boards in a nine-point win at Minnesota. Though in foul trouble against Michigan’s double-big look of Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf, he grabbed 5 rebounds and scored 9 points in 19 minutes of action. His season was bookended by an impressive 15-point, 11-rebound effort in an upset win at No. 12 Wisconsin.
Due to Niederhauser’s apparent rise up draft boards, Atlanta would likely need to trade multiple of its five tradable second-round picks to get any takers. They currently own the No. 13 pick in the first round, but previously traded their second-round pick to Oklahoma City.
With Clint Capela looking like a free agency casualty to the Hawks’ roster, Saleh may look into second-round or undrafted players. It’s unclear what incumbent Onyeka Okongwu’s fit alongside Porzingis will be, so Atlanta may look to shore up the position.