The Atlanta Hawks nailed their past two draft picks, Zaccharie Risacher and Asa Newell.
With Trae Young out, the team is built around Jalen Johnson. GMs Landry Fields and Onsi Saleh showed remarkable forward thinking by drafting players who fit perfectly alongside Johnson.
Similar to how the uber-athletic Aaron Gordon can mask Nikola Jokic’s poor mobility and verticality, Risacher and Newell perfectly complement Johnson’s weaknesses. Despite showing promise as a defender early in his career, Johnson has morphed into a traditional scoring forward with minimal defensive impact. He has also been a shaky shooter through five seasons, meaning an ideal team would feature shooting, defense, and length at the other frontcourt spots.
The three Hawks could form a terrifying frontcourt
Risacher and Newell flank Johnson at the small forward and center position – or at least they will with some development. Risacher is the prototypical low-usage small forward who has made remarkable strides as a defender. He put on significant weight since his rookie season and is much more active rotating as a help defender.
While he hit a sophomore slump at the start of this season, Risacher has found his footing on offense. His deep shot has recovered to a scorching 46.8% over his last 10 games after a dismal 31.3% start. Perhaps most impressive, Risacher has become a dangerous cutter this season. He’s in the top 10% of small forwards in finishing shot attempts per 100 and has been converting his twos at an efficient clip.
Newell is still a project, but the Hawks can already tell they hit a home run. Quin Snyder took his time integrating the Atlanta-born rookie into the rotation, letting him shine with the College Park Skyhawks and earn practice reps against the big league squad. He played in over 10 minutes just twice before December, but he has averaged 13 minutes a night since in a young Hawks frontcourt.
Snyder has deployed Newell at the five, which is simply doomed to fail this season. Like many 19-year-old bigs, the UGA rookie needs to pack on significant muscle before he can absorb contact at the level required of an NBA center. If we chalk up his weak interior presence to his developing frame, however, there are very few holes left in his game.
Newell has all of the tools to be the perfect complementary player to Johnson. He has an all-around offensive game, shooting 44.4% from three with an intriguing slashing game, and he has the physical tools to cover Johnson’s weaknesses on defense. What more could you ask for?
With a long-term frontcourt of Risacher, Johnson, and Newell, Atlanta is in good hands. If they can convert the Pelicans' pick this season into their guard of the future, the sky is the limit for this squad.