Atlanta Hawks: Zion Dream Done, Yet Hope and Options Remain

Heartbroken But All Is Not Lost

The Atlanta Hawks will select at number eight and member ten in the 2019 NBA Draft. Certainly outside of getting Zion, the team would have preferred to pick number two or three. That would have given Atlanta the chance to select R.J. Barrett, or parlay a Ja Morant pick into a wealth of future assets. However the most heartbreaking thing about the entire night, was the tweet by Chris Kirschner, Atlanta Hawks beat writer for The Athletic. He stated that the Atlanta Hawks had a lottery ticket that contained the entire winning number combination, with the exception of one number being one digit off. See the tweet for yourself below:

Centers for the Atlanta Hawks to Consider

Despite the disappointment of the lottery, the Atlanta Hawks are still in a good position. Should they choose to shore up the center position, Atlanta should have their choice of every center in draft at number eight. Worse case scenario, only one center should be gone, if Atlanta waits until number ten to go big. Phoenix and Chicago who select six and seven, both drafted centers in round one of the 2018 draft, so they figure to be out of the market for a five man. Bol Bol is an interesting prospect for the Hawks with his ability to stretch the floor and protect the rim. Had Bol not injured his foot, he would very likely be the fourth or fifth pick in this draft. The Atlanta Hawks would be smart to take a chance on him in the 8-10 range, as long as his medical records show that he is healing properly. Jaxson Hayes and Goga Bitadze are the other center prospects projected in the ESPN Top 20 this year, according to Mike Schmitz and Jonathan Givony. Bitadze and his skill set would also be a nice fit for Atlanta.