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Should The Atlanta Hawks Draft Bobby Portis?

By John Buhler

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As part of the greatest throw-in to a trade ever, the Atlanta Hawks exercised their right to swap first-round picks with the Brooklyn due to a clause in the Joe Johnson trade.  Atlanta moves up from 29th to 15th because of this deal.  Though Atlanta sits just outside of the Lottery (Picks 1-14), the Hawks can definitely find great value at 15.

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Two up-and-coming stars in this league went after the Lottery selections in 2013 (Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo at 15, Dennis Schroder went 17th to the Hawks).  One player many mock drafts have going to the Hawks is Arkansas’ PF Bobby Portis.  With possibly bigger needs than power forward for Atlanta, should the Hawks use their 15th overall selection on the former Razorback?

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    • Portis had an outstanding two-year stint with the Hogs in Fayetteville, starring for DeMarre Carroll’s uncle Arkansas HC Mike Anderson.  Bobby averaged 17.5 PPG, 8.9 RPG and 1.4 BPG as the 2015 SEC Player of the Year.  Portis also earned second team All-NCAA honors in 2014-15.

    I remember seeing Portis single-handedly beat the Dawgs in conference play.  In a deep SEC with Kentucky going undefeated all the way to the Final Four, Portis was the best player in the conference.  The Hogs were a ranked team all year primarily because of Bobby Portis.

    In recent seasons, the Atlanta Hawks love drafting power forwards (Mike Scott, Mike Muscala, Adreian Payne).  Even with former GM Danny Ferry stepping down, it wouldn’t surprise to see HC Mike Budenholzer and new GM Wes Wilcox go big and select Bobby Portis 15th overall.   At 6’11” he can give the Hawks an edge on the glass inside.  Atlanta finished last in the NBA in offensive rebounding in 2014-15.

    Portis could become a great stretch four for the Hawks.  He shot 46.7% from three-point land for the Hogs last year.  Bobby is a decent free throw shooter for a big man (.737 FT%) and shoots for a high percentage from the field (.536 FG%).

    My biggest concern with Portis is if he will buy into the heavy ball movement required to thrive in Coach Bud’s offensive system.  At Arkansas, Bobby only averaged 1.3 assists a game for the Razorbacks his entire time in Fayetteville.  It could mean that he had to make all the shots for the Hogs for the team to have success the last two seasons.  Or that he just really likes to play hero ball?  That’s up to how Bud and Wilcox evaluate his Atlanta workout.

    Personally, I would prefer to see the Atlanta Hawks go wing at 15.  Wing depth or lack there of was what really determined the Hawks’ success more than anything.  But if Sam Dekker and Kelly Oubre are already off the board and Atlanta doesn’t feel like reaching for RJ Hunter, I’d be okay with the Hawks drafting Bobby Portis at 15.

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    It would mean a few things for the team’s roster going forward into 2015-16.  Portis’ selection could mean that Atlanta isn’t re-signing Paul Millsap or Pero Antic.  It could mean that Mike Scott’s tenure with the Hawks is coming to an end.  And it could also mean that Walter ‘Edy’ Tavares isn’t ready to come state side.

    Drafting Portis and letting Millsap walk might mean more cap space to re-sign Carroll or reach out and try to grab a Jimmy Butler type of player on the wing in free agency.  How Atlanta drafts on Thursday Night live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York will set in motion how Coach Bud and Wes Wilcox want their team to look like heading into the fall.

    Next: Pero Antic: Should The Hawks Re-Sign Him?

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