The Hawks are a little over a week away from one of the most pivotal drafts in the franchise’s history after winning the lottery.
Unlike most years, there’s not a consensus prospect who should go No. 1 overall. Gambling outlets have Alex Sarr as the betting favorite to be the first player selected, but recent reports suggest he’s not even among the club’s top two prospects.
“Many executives around the league believe (Zaccharie) Risacher and (Donovan) Clingan are the two names at the top of the Hawks’ draft board,” Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints wrote. “There is a growing belief that the Hawks like Clingan much better than anyone else available at the top of the draft.”
The Hawks recently worked out the UConn star, and reports from Jonathan Givony suggest that it went perfectly, noting that Atlanta loved what they saw.
https://twitter.com/langleyatl/status/1803163461930598819
As things currently stand, it seems that the Hawks are trending toward Donovan Clingan as an instant upgrade over Clint Capela.
The national champion is bigger and should offer an immediate impact on the defensive end of the floor, but how much better is he than Capela offensively? That ultimately will determine his ceiling. If he can affect the game on both ends of the court, Donovan Clingan could end up being the best player in this year’s draft class.
There’s still more than a week before the NBA Draft, so there’s plenty that can change between now and then. Nothing has been confirmed, but at this juncture, it seems Clingan could be the top pick.
—
Photo: Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.