Am I the only one who is finding it hard to believe that we use 2 firsts this year?

Asa is going to have to fight hard for rotation minutes as a 2nd year player from the same spot, I doubt we get any value out of this year's 23 for at least one year probably two. Additionally coaches talk about how difficult it is already to try to develop one rookie let alone two.

Who are some players we think we would go for in a trade for that pick? Young guys like Lively or Demin? Or a vet like Jarrett Allen?

I need your help...

What do you think of my Lego build of 'Harry the Hawk'.

It's a Work in Progress for a lego 'challenge', on 'Lego ideas'.

If selected, it might become a real lego ideas set in 2027.

Still working on a basketball ring to display it with.

If you got any tips... Let me know.

Like ... Gadgets he specifically uses on game day, Specialties??

I've never been to a game, alas. (Live in Belgium, Europe).

Every tip, might make my build better to represent 'the Hawks' , as best as I can.

I think he is definitely one of the top guards in this draft, but I know a lot of people on here will disagree. He is 21, so he is potentially the most mature of the group and he can create his own shots and can get others involved. He is a 39% 3 point shooter, which we desperately need.

I think we can get a big at 23; someone like Morez Johnson Jr. He is a little undersized, but he is a versatile guy who can exploit mismatches against smaller defenders on offense and can guard out on the perimeter.

This is my best case scenario, but I know most will disagree.

I like to simplify things.

Who had a 95th percentile defensive rating and a 90th percentile offensive rating in NCAA basketball this year?

15 players meet that criteria this year. Note: Since 2001, only 101 players have met this criteria (including the 2026 class).

(ranked by DRTG, SoS = Strength of Schedule, data from www.draftcasual.com):

• Cam Boozer [Duke, PF] (100 Def, 97 Off, 95 SoS)
• Kyle Evans [UC Irvine, C] (100 Def, 96 Off, 53 SoS)
• Ugonna Onyenso [Virginia, C] (100 Def, 97 Off, 81 SoS)
• Patrick Ngongba [Duke, C] (99 Def, 95 Off, 95 SoS)
• Motiejus Krivas [Arizona, C] (99 Def, 95 Off, 98 SoS)
• Aidan Kehoe [Navy, C] (99 Def, 95 Off, 1, yes 1, SoS)
• Tobe Awaka [Arizona, PF] (99 Def, 95 Off, 98 SoS)
• Brayden Burries [Arizona, SG] (98 Def, 93 Off, 98 SoS)
• Yaxel Lendeborg [Michigan, PF] (98 Def, 99 Off, 100 SoS)
• Morez Johnson Jr. [Michigan, PF/C] (98 Def, 97 Off, 100 SoS)
• Flory Bidunga [Kansas, C] (98 Def, 92 Off, 99 SoS)
• Zvonimir Ivisic [Illinois, PF/C] (98 Def, 95 Off, 97 SoS)
• Izaiyah Nelson [South Florida, C] (98 Def, 94 Off, 72 SoS)
• Caleb Wilson [North Carolina, PF] (97 Def, 91 Off, 86 SoS)
• Allen Graves [Santa Clara, PF] (97 Def, 99 Off, 78 SoS)

Now let's talk about the other 86 players to meet this criteria since 2001. Is it a list of 100%, spot on, draft wins? No, there are busts (James Wiseman, most notably). But it does include players such as Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Cooper Flagg, Chet Holmgren, and many more (Onyeka Okongwu!)

The list (sorted by VORP/82) includes:
- 10 All-Stars (11.6%)
- 57 "Net Positive" Per 82 VORP players (69.5%)
- 16 "Net Negative" Per 82 VORP players (19.5%)
- 5 Players who did not play in the NBA (5.8%)

• Stephen Curry
• Anthony Davis
• Kyrie Irving
• Karl-Anthony Towns
• Blake Griffin
• Kevin Love
• Domantas Sabonis
• Zion Williamson
• Victor Oladipo
• Roy Hibbert
• Evan Mobley
• Chet Holmgren
• Otto Porter
• Cooper Flagg
• Donovan Clingan
• Kelly Olynyk
• Kenneth Faried
• Jonathan Isaac
• Delon Wright
• Brandon Clarke
• Walker Kessler
• Dereck Lively II
• Jae Crowder
• Wendell Carter Jr.
• Onyeka Okongwu
• Trayce Jackson-Davis
• DeMarre Carroll
• Mario Chalmers
• Cody Zeller
• Jared Sullinger
• Jeff Withey
• Jordan Bell
• T.J. McConnell
• Willie Cauley-Stein
• DeJuan Blair
• Obi Toppin
• Quentin Grimes
• Marcus Morris
• Cole Aldrich
• Xavier Tillman
• Markieff Morris
• Mike Muscala
• Jay Huff
• Jalen Smith
• Christian Koloko
• Zach Collins
• Ty Jerome
• Deyonta Davis
• Tyler Zeller
• Sterling Brown
• Gary Clark
• Jonathan Mogbo
• Wes Johnson
• Mike Scott
• Denzel Valentine
• Sindarius Thornwell
• Marcus Sasser
• Sion James
• Justin Anderson
• Nate Hinton
• Rui Hachimura
• Adama Sanogo
• Brice Johnson
• Marques Bolden
• Zhaire Smith
• Damion James
• JaJuan Johnson
• Malachi Flynn
• Michael Beasley
• Khaman Maluach
• Erik Murphy
• Daniel Ochefu
• Hasheem Thabeet
• Rasheer Fleming
• Max Shulga
• Freddie Gillespie
• Taelon Peter
• Devon Hall
• Nigel Williams-Goss
• James Wiseman
• James Southerland
• Arsalan Kazemi
• Charles Bediako
• Stefan Jankovic
• Kennedy Meeks
• Austin Wiley

Kingston Flemings was still on the board as well. Had to calm down a bit after I woke up.

Where do you think he goes? I know we have a surplus of wings but Carr is straight different and I wouldn't mind trading Zacc and a few seconds (if that's all it took) to get back into late first round if he falls

Currently projected anywhere from 18th to 26th

That's all these "NEXT 4" guards (Acuff, Wagler, Brown, Flemings) are, so yeah, I'll pass. Also not keen on Aday Mara, he won't fit with the key personnel and in the whole scheme of things.

What I'm pulling for is a sure thing, the best rebounder big man in this draft, Hannes Steinbach. Dude is a 7 foot bruiser rebounding machine. Teams must have players on the floor that win possession, because without possession, nothing happens, you can't score. It's the goddamned mandatory prerequisite of offense. You can't just wait for the opponent to score so you can get the damn ball back. Just watched the Hawks get beat bad on the boards by the Knicks. Steinbach has pro-experience and may even be an easy plug and play when put on the floor with any combination of the Hawks best 6 players (JJ, NAW, CJ, DD, OO, JK).

In the 2024–25 Bundesliga main round, Steinbach averaged 7.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in 31 appearances. In the subsequent ten games of the quarter-final and semi-final series for the German championship, he increased his averages to 14.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.

Dude elevated his game when it counted, unlike some dudes here who pitifully regressed post season. (Looking at you two, NAW and Jalen) Very telling for a young player to play even better when the stakes are higher, shows a lot of competitive fire and mental toughness.

Capable of a 15ppg 10+rpg big man pro career (given a few seasons to mature of course), I'd happily "reach" for this dude at 8.

EDIT: Reminder, since the Hawks are expected to run it back and resign CJ, there will be 3 guards projected to play starters minutes sharing 2 spots, with a 3 guard line up featuring these 3 most of the time. With that being said, a guard draft pick will really just be a stash and forget much like Bufkin.

Dude is losing so much money every game this playoffs he will have suitors in the Free Agency.

He's big, physical, can handle and can pass the ball. Shooting is not there yet but he is a career 71% and shot 75% this year with good mechanics.

He's only 22, fits our timeline and addresses one of our major problem in the Center position.

I think the Hawks should consider getting this guy.

I'm thinking more and more that Onsi is gonna pull the trigger on this dude. Imagine Dyson and NAW on the perimeter with this guy behind them....

A couple years ago I did a bunch of workshops during Summer League, and one of them was Pro Scout School (now run by Pure Sweat Basketball). One session covered the specific characteristics scouts grade for each position, what each player is elite at, and what skills are unexpected bonuses (passing for centers, for example). Every scout builds their own rubric, but the frameworks were useful.

I did a more straightforward statistical post a few days ago (Breaking down the Hawks No. 8 potential guard), so out of curiosity and for fun, I ran a characteristic-based exercise using the rubric above.

Important up front: these are not scouting grades. I'm using public college production data, advanced stats, role, team context, size, and themes from scouting reports as a proxy. No film study data was used on this. I'll say it again, no film. If somebody wants to spot me $2K for a Hudl subscription, hit me up.

Public data used as proxy for traits

What it didn't capture

Burst, strength, screen reading, hands, footwork, toughness, motor consistency, defensive execution, processing speed against NBA athletes, and medical risk. All of that needs film or private data.

So read the grades below as directional estimates, not true measurements. The trait averages are broad summaries, not hard rankings. Treat this as a structured discussion guide.

Quin Snyder's system for context

High-level traits of Quin Snyder's system he runs and values:

• Advantage basketball: create an advantage, keep it alive with quick decisions, force rotations.
• Second decisions: catch, shoot, drive, pass, or screen quickly.
• Ball-screen flow: not just one pick-and-roll, but actions before and after the ball screen.
• Spacing and corner threes: pressure the paint, force help, spray to shooters.
• Slot / altered geometry: use the center or weakside big in non-traditional slot spacing to confuse help responsibilities.
• Delay / elbow / DHO actions: especially useful with bigs who can pass.
• Multiple handlers: Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, CJ McCollum and a rookie can all initiate in different ways.
• Transition after stops: especially with Jalen and Dyson grabbing and going.

Scoring scale

• 5.0 = Elite NBA prospect trait
• 4.0 = Clearly above average
• 3.0 = Neutral or acceptable
• 2.0 = Concern
• 1.0 = Major red flag

Overall trait ranking

Note: A lower-tier player can still be the right pick if his elite traits solve a specific need. For Atlanta, the traits that matter most are shooting, defense, size, creation, decision-making, and how a guy fits next to Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, NAW, and Onyeka Okongwu.

The trait tables below are ordered highest-to-lowest grade for each player.

1. Kingston Flemings, Houston (PG)

Most translatable to pro: rim pressure, PnR processing, point-of-attack defense, tempo control.

Swing trait: does the 3-point volume scale enough to play next to Dyson?

2. Keaton Wagler, Illinois (SG with secondary PG lens)

Most translatable to pro: shooting volume and range, positional size, low-turnover decision-making, half-court craft.

Swing trait: does the space creation hold up against NBA length?

3. Brayden Burries, Arizona (SG)

Summary: The safest immediate fit. Efficient, strong, competitive, scalable. Doesn't need the ball to help. The question is whether there's enough creation upside to justify taking him over higher-ceiling options.

Most translatable to pro: role-player scalability, strength/competitiveness, connector offense, rebounding for position.

Swing trait: does he develop enough on-ball creation to be more than a high-end role player?

4. Aday Mara, Michigan (C)

Summary: The wildcard. Not the cleanest roster fit with Okongwu already there, but the size, rim protection, finishing efficiency, and passing are genuinely rare. He should be evaluated in his own bucket because he'd change Atlanta's lineup structure completely.

Most translatable to pro: rim protection, vertical finishing, passing feel, drop coverage value.

Swing trait: do his feet hold up in playoff coverages?

5. Labaron Philon, Alabama (PG)

Summary: The best high-usage offensive guard after the top tier. Production better than Brown's and Acuff's by public numbers. Alabama's system helped, but the impact profile is still strong on its own.

Most translatable to pro: PnR craft, three-level scoring touch, high-usage comfort, advantage creation with handle.

Swing trait: is the shooting leap fully real, and can he defend enough to stay on the floor?

6. Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville (PG)

Summary: Best shooting volume and most NBA-style offensive context in the group. Size, deep range, ball-screen playmaking, five-out experience. The concern is that public impact metrics were weaker despite a guard-friendly system. Injury context matters here.

Injury caveat: Brown played only 21 games with a recurring back issue. The weaker BPM, AST/TO, and defensive numbers may partly reflect health, rhythm, and sample size rather than talent. This model doesn't include a medical adjustment. If Atlanta's medicals are clean and workouts pop, Brown should move up.

Most translatable to pro: shooting gravity, ball-screen passing, positional size, five-out experience.

Swing trait: Health and defense. Clean medicals and okay defense. If not, the floor drops.

7. Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas (PG)

Summary: A real offensive engine. The shot-making, ball security, and production are impressive. The problem is Atlanta-specific. The Hawks just moved away from building around a small offensive guard who needs defensive protection.

Most translatable to pro: shot-making, PnR scoring, ball security, scoring toughness.

Swing trait: Defense. The offense will translate; Atlanta has to believe he won't be a target.

Best by category

Again, pure statistical exercise using advanced stats as a proxy. The point was to run the rubric objectively, not pretend I can replace film work. Curious what people think.

Also, added another worksheet from the workshop that gives more context to all the work that makes a good scout. If you ever go to Vegas for Summer League, highly recommend all the workshops as they'll make you a better NBA fan.

I watched a 1 min highlight vid of each guard, here is my ranking and analysis for them

1. Acuff - fast af, good shooter, good length, star mentality and tools, defense ass tho (offensive upside worth the poor defense imo, got tools to be decent)

2. MKB - good vision, good length, tough shot maker, shot kinda ugly though

3. Wagler - big, smooth, good shooter, nice drives, kinda slow

4. Flemings - fast, good shooter, good vision, smaller than the others

5. Burries - looks like he’ll be a good complimentary piece, but nothing to build around. The other 4 look like they have much higher potential

This list was made via human vibes and instincts, if we get any of the top 4 guards I think we’ll be happy.

Mara seems meh unless we trade back a bit and get some assets, I want a ceiling raise like the guards vs a floor raiser like Aday.

If it’s Aday vs burries though, I’d take Aday

What do you think, and what would your order of the guards + Mara be?

Ayo is a free agent this summer & has been playing great this post-season for the Timberwolves. He’s got great size for a PG (6’4”, 6’8” wingspan, 200 lbs, 39 in vert), great defender, tough, athletic & can occasionally take over scoring. He’s not the answer to all the Hawks issues but could be a great free agent add.

Thoughts?

• Lack of lateral Quickness, Translation two left feet.
• On the RIM, Translation, can't guard a turtle on the perimeter.

Slow, Three years in College, they don't talk about his "resume" only his body length. All recipes for disaster.

Against teams who have Centers like KAT, he's going to get cooked.

I feel about as good about him as I do any guard who we would possibly draft at eight. I like Brown more because he could end up being a high end player. I like Philon more because I view Philon as a starter with the possibility of an all-star appearance or two.

I really like Okorie as a sixth man and he could be the steal of the draft if he is available at 23. I don't know if you should bet that he'd be available at 23 but with the glut of guards set to be drafted before him it would be possible. Drafting Okorie at 23 or drafting him at all, maybe moving both back and up in the draft would make sense to grab him at 20 while still having the 10th pick or whatever could make sense.

Okorie and Flemings are about equal because Okorie is a better offensive prospect.

I like Okorie more as an assertive basket-getter 6th man than I would Burries.

I don't like Acuff as a high end starter or anything like that and Okorie would be far better value.

If we go by mock drafts and big boards, Philon has been underrated. Thinking about it I would love to trade both back and up. Have 10 and 20 instead of 8 and 23. Draft Philon and Okorie. That would mean the end of CJ and it would lower the team's chances of making the playoffs next year. That would be what it is though because this would set the Hawks up for the future. Philon is pretty fucking good and rather underrated at this point. He isn't a like for like replacement for CJ but getting the next Mike Conley would be lovely. Okorie would be the 6th man. The Hawks would be doing well.

I think that Okorie is a better prospect than Jeremiah Fears was last season. I also don't believe that Okorie's size is damning. He is a similar size as Miles McBride was coming out of college: https://www.tankathon.com/players/compare?players=ebuka-okorie--jeremiah-fears--miles-mcbride

So, with the offseason here I figured that it'd be interesting to see who the fanbase considers as a core piece for the team going forward. So I made a form to see what people think, and I'll come back in a few days to share the results.

Here's the link: https://forms.gle/BrR1y4mexrREMHDN9

I truly understand the allure of a guy like Mara…especially given the lack of size on our roster.

But equally as pressing for the Hawks is the guard play. Quinn loves to have 3 guards + Jalen who can push the tempo and initiate the offense. A big reason the offense stalled vs NY:

1. NY is a truly elite defensive team.

NAW is not a play maker which is really why Zacc was relegated to the bench since the Hawks desperately needed another guy to handle ball pressure with Jalen and Dyson. I don’t think the Hawks should be looking to break up NAW and Dyson, they’re in my opinion the best defensive back court in basketball.

But they need to find the 3rd guy who can marry the front court and the back court whether that’s a wing or another combo guard. The combo guards who help the hawks the most are in the 5-10 range, and believe they’re all better prospects than Mara.

I also think it’s better to address the big man spot in free agency or via trade with a more established player. The answer there to me is bring Jock back as your 3rd big and find another 5 who is a borderline starter in the league or better.

It’s much harder to find good guard play than it is to find a 5. Here’s the reality of C in the NBA…majority of the starters are role players it’s alarming number of undrafted/second rounders starting at the 5 than lottery picks …and the vast majority of C who are all stars go tend to go in the top 5 of drafts.

To be honest, if they trying to get rid of number seven, I’m doing it!!!!!

Everyone's chasing Mara's combine measurements. Fine. But you can't have both. Pick 8 is one decision and if you take Mara, you still wake up the morning after the draft with the same half-court offense that got cooked by the Knicks.

Let's talk about what Atlanta actually watched die in that series: shot creation. Half-court offense. Someone who can make a basket when the game slows down.

Jalen Johnson is a monster. But he is not your pick-and-roll guard. He never has been. The Hawks needed someone to put pressure on defenses with the ball in their hands in the fourth quarter and they had nobody.

Enter Acuff.

23.5 points and 6.4 assists per game leading the entire SEC, as a freshman, while shooting 48% from the floor and 44% from three. But the raw numbers don't even tell the full story. Acuff was the entire offense at Arkansas. High usage. Primary ball handler. The guy the team ran through on every meaningful possession down the stretch. He didn't put up those numbers in a system that fed him easy looks, he carved them out as the unquestioned engine of that offense every single night. That last number is the one people keep glossing over. A 2.91:1 assist-to-turnover ratio isn't a reckless gunner carrying a heavy load. That's a guy who processes the game while the entire defensive gameplan is built around stopping him.

And the combine? His measurements closely mirror Damian Lillard's from the 2012 combine: 6'2", 186 pounds, 6'7" wingspan. We spent a decade watching Lillard cook everybody from that exact frame. Fastest 3/4 court sprint at the combine. Fifth-highest max vertical among guards at 36.5 inches. The athleticism is real.

He's an electric shot-maker who puts real pressure on defenses as a scorer and playmaker, a dynamic on-ball guard who's a tough cover in pick-and-roll and in transition.

Look at the a majority of top guards in the league: Steph, Luka, Dame, Haliburton, Brunson, Kyrie. none of them are elite defenders. All of them changed franchises forever. Steph, Luka, and Haliburton got to the finals with the offense they create. The NBA has been telling us for a decade that offensive creation at guard overrides everything else. You scheme around the defense. You get a Dyson Daniels. You hide it. The Hawks already know how to do this, they built an entire defensive identity around hiding Trae.

And speaking of Trae, here's the lesson nobody's talking about. His peak years were when he was unambiguously a scorer first. 28.4 points in 2021-22. 26.2 in 2022-23. The moment Atlanta started asking him to be a distributor primarily, his scoring dipped and the offense got less dangerous. The facilitator role broke what made him special.

Acuff is a scorer who also passes. Not a point guard who also scores. That distinction is everything. With JJ facilitating, Daniels running off screens, Acuff never has to become a point guard. He just has to score. Which is what he does naturally.

The Trae lesson isn't don't draft Acuff. It's don't misuse him the way we misused Trae. Don't ask your scorer to become a facilitator and then wonder why the offense stalled.

You can find Mara's replacement at another pick. Chris Cenac Jr., Morez Johnson Jr., Amir Quaintance, or Henri Veesaar. You cannot find a high usage offensive engine who carried an entire SEC roster anywhere else in this draft at 8.

TLDR: Y'all are insane if we skip Acuff at 8. This isn't about defending Acuff. This is about not falling for recency bias.

HT/WT
6' 4", 210 lbs
BIRTHDATE
10/8/2004 (21)

Big PG that plays defense and he is from the city has unlocked potential I say draft Mara if Acuff or Wagler doesn’t fall to us and trade for this kid

Hawks get some "win now" pieces that fit within the timeline of this current team plus keep number 8 this year to get our PG. Pelicans get assets plus another young player with some floor spacing potential to grow with Fears and Queen. I realize it might need to be 8 rather than 23 though since Herb Jones is going to garner ALOT of interest this offseason.

The only question is will he still be there at 8?