So far, Travis Schlenk has done a fantastic job of drafting during his tenure in Atlanta. Last year, he came away with Jalen Johnson and Sharife Cooper. Although neither guy had a big impact this season, they are very talented developmental pieces with high upside. In my Mock Draft, I went the alternate route by selecting pro-ready defenders — Ayo Dosunmu and Herb Jones.
Not to pat myself on the back, but if the Hawks could go back in time, I imagine they would take both of my picks. Dosunmu was one of the better rookies in the league, and Jones is already a top-notch defender in the NBA. Atlanta’s current picks may not even end up belonging to them if they pull off a big trade. Regardless, I trust Travis Schlenk’s process; here are a few guys I like as we get closer to draft day.
I’ll do one more Mock Draft after this; if you want to see the 1.0 edition, you can find that below:
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Hawks 2022 NBA Mock Draft 1.0 (Pre-Lottery)
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Round 1, Pick 16: F Dyson Daniels — G-League
There should be a lot of options for the Hawks here, mainly in the frontcourt. Guys like Nikola Jovic, Jalen Duren, Kendall Brown, and Patrick Baldwin could all be fantastic choices. However, if I’m the Hawks, there’s no way I’m letting Dyson Daniels get past the 16th pick. Dyson is only 19, and he’s still growing. At 6’7 with a 6’11 wingspan, he’s already a smooth athlete who can defend at a high level and facilitate as a primary ball-handler.
The Hawks have shown some interest — they have already met with Daniels. He was a poor shooter when he was first adjusting to the G-League, but he shot 45% from deep over his last nine games — a huge improvement. With his current defensive chops and upside, he’s too good to pass up with the 16th pick.
Round 2, Pick 44: G Johnny Juzang — UCLA
NBADraft.net actually has the Hawks taking Juzang in their recent mock draft, and I love the fit for Atlanta. You get a strong defender with a ton of upside in Dyson Daniels, then you get a bucket in Juzang who can provide tons of scoring off of the bench. Juzang was one of the most electric players in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, averaging almost 23 points over six games in March. Although he didn’t improve his draft stock a ton in 2022, he still improved his efficiency and is one of the more NBA-ready players in this draft.
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