Hawks predicted to land clone of current big man in 2025 draft

The Atlanta Hawks will need to add to their frontcourt next offseason one way or another.

Clint Capela, Cody Zeller, and Larry Nance Jr. will all be free agents after the season, and current top backup Onyeka Okongwu is unproven as a full-time starter at this level. Okongwu has also dealt with injury issues in four of his first five seasons.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman projects the Hawks to select Georgetown big man Thomas Sorber with the No. 20 overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft.

“There's been no freshman wall yet to slow down Thomas Sorber. He just dominated Coppin State with 22 points, 12 boards, four blocks and three assists after a 19-point, four-block game in a win at Seton Hall,” Wasserman wrote on January 1. “His strength and interior skill have been too much for opponents in the paint, while the passing and disruptive defense continue to give Sorber extra layers.”

“He's slightly undersized at 6'10" for a post-player center,” Wasserman wrote, “but he's also attempted 22 threes this year—a promising sign regardless of the results.”

Sorber is averaging 15.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists through 14 games for the Hoyas.

Notably, the pick used to take Sorber in Wasserman’s scenario is the incoming Los Angeles Lakers selection from the Dejounte Murray trade to the New Orleans Pelicans. Also notable, the projected slot is the same one the Hawks landed rising star Jalen Johnson in.

If Sorber – who Wasserman compared to Okongwu – checks out height-wise, it would be a lateral move from Capela to him. Okongu is also listed at 6-foot-10, though that is disputable.

Drafting Thomas Sorber would give Hawks options

The Hawks could look to upgrade their pivot spot before the trade deadline, knowing that Capela is in the final year of his contract. But Sorber could also allow them to move Okongwu if he would yield a more favorable return, and he most likely would.

By then, Capela would be a free agent. But the Hawks could re-sign him on another short-term deal knowing they would have Sorber in the fold.

The Hawks are said to prefer keeping Okongwu over Capela.

They can do that too, which could keep Okongwu in a more suitable role off the bench. Going younger also comes with its drawbacks. But the Hawks would have the next iteration of their frontcourt set, with Okongwu under contract for three more seasons.

Wasserman also has the Hawks selecting Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier in the second round with the No. 46 overall pick (via the Minnesota Timberwolves).

More notably, though, is that he projects the outgoing Hawks first-round pick to be No. 18.

The Hawks do not own the rights to that pick, owing it to the San Antonio Spurs from the initial trade for Murray in 2022. Still, the projected slot would be good news for the Hawks since it would indicate they made the playoffs.

It would mark a return after a one-year absence. Now, whether or not they have to go through the Play-In Tournament is another story.

Either way, the Hawks should hope Wasserman’s projections play out.