In Jeremy Woo of ESPN’s updated NBA mock draft following the NBA Combine, he has the Hawks pivoting from the guard root and going with 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara with the 8th overall pick.

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The Hawks’ shrewd decision to trade the No. 13 pick (Derik Queen) in last year’s draft for this one — the better of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s selections — didn’t result in a top-four pick, but still moved them up five spots in a stronger draft. They will look at the bevy of young guards at this slot, a long-term need after moving on from Trae Young. If they want to upgrade at the five — where they lack size and depth — Mara has positioned himself as the likely first center off the board.

Mara has built momentum on the heels of Michigan’s title run and is viewed by teams as a lock to hear his name called in the lottery. His massive dimensions help back up the argument for him as a player with an outlier-level mix of size, coordination and skill. He could wind up as the first Michigan player to hear his name called, above Yaxel Lendeborg.

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The draft stock of Aday Mara may have skyrocketed during the NBA Combine, but he’s been on the radar of Atlanta Hawks fans for months, primarily because of his sheer size. He’s one of the biggest prospects in NBA history, standing at 7-foot-3 without shoes with a 9-foot-9 standing reach. For a team without a true center, that’s extraordinarily attractive, as Mara would step in from day one and provide Atlanta with an anchor on both sides of the floor.

But he’s not just a rim protector capable of grabbing rebounds and cashing in easy buckets around the rim. Mara has really good hands for someone his size, is more than capable as a passer, and there are signs he could eventually develop a three-point shot. He possesses a lot of the same skills as modern NBA bigs, just packaged inside a frame that’s almost unmatched.

If he’s available at pick No. 8, he’ll surely be on the short list of players the Hawks consider.

With the 23rd pick in the draft, Jeremy Woo has the Hawks selecting Ebuka Okorie, a point guard out of Stanford University

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Okorie told reporters at the combine that he has decided to stay in the draft, after bursting onto the scene in what became a surprise one-and-done season at Stanford. Although he’s on the smaller side for a point guard and more of a scorer than playmaker, teams have largely come to view him as a first-round talent, thanks to his long-range shooting and lightning-quick first step. He measured with a plus-6½ wingspan that will help his case, and will attempt to work his way up the board in a strong point guard class in the coming weeks.

If the Hawks decide not to select a point guard in the lottery, they might be able to find value later in the draft here because of the considerable depth and quality available at the position. Though Okorie might project better as a bench scorer than a long-term starter, the fact that he recently turned 19 gives him upside left to tap into at the NBA level.

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Ebuka Okorie is coming off an incredible season at Stanford University and is the perfect example of just how deep this draft class is. There should be plenty of starting-caliber players available in the back half of the first round and even into the second round.

Okorie averaged 23.2 points per game on 46.5% shooting from the field and 35.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Right now, he’s more of a microwave scorer than a true point guard, but at just 19 years old, there’s still a ton of room for his game to develop.

The upside with this pick, combined with a steady presence like Aday Mara earlier in the round, would make for a really fun haul for a Hawks team attempting to take the next step toward championship contention.

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(Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire)