With a pair of top-10 picks in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Hawks have a variety of options. Which players should be at the top of their draft board?
The Hawks finished an exciting season, watching Trae Young emerge as a future star and validate his primacy in their rebuilding plans. Taurean Prince took another step, Kevin Huerter flashed his solid shooting and creation chops and John Collins proved his rookie season wasn’t a fluke.
The Hawks have two top-10 picks, courtesy of the Mavericks and last year’s Luka Doncic trade. They also have the luxury of implementing a draft strategy that doesn’t need to realize an immediate payoff. Given those parameters, who should be at the top of their draft board?
5. Cam Reddish, Wing, Duke
With two lottery picks, the Hawks will be in position to gamble on Reddish, particularly if he’s still there by the time the tenth pick rolls around. Reddish’s physical tools are tantalizing and he came to Duke with impressive high school credentials. However, it’s hard to characterize his lone college season as anything other than an enormous disappointment. He was an inconsistent spot-up shooter and disastrous finisher who looked unprepared to handle much of a primary creation load at the college level, let alone in the NBA.
It’s hard to imagine him turning into an NBA star at this point but he still has a ton of defensive potential and could become a reliable 3-and-D contributor who adds a little bit more with his mid-range pull-up game. His bust potential seems high but with two picks, the Hawks could take him without risking their entire draft.