Atl All Day Atlanta Hawks Specific NBA Draft Big Board
Tier 3: Picks 8 or 10
4.
Sekou Doumbouya Combo Forward
Pros:
1. Physical Attributes
2. Transition Offense
3. Defensive Potential
Cons:
1. Raw
2. Shooting Consistency
3. Defensive Fundamentals
NBA Comparisons:
Thaddeus Young (CBS Sports)
Pascual Skiakum, Al-Farouq Aminu, Trevor Booker (The Ringer)
5.
Bol Bol Big
Pros:
1. Three Point Shooting
2. Ball Handling
3. Rim Protection
Cons:
1. Injury Concerns
2. Weight and Strength
3. Lateral Quickness
NBA Comparisons:
Kristaps Porzingus, Brooke Lopez, Thon Maker (The Ringer)
6.
Goga Bitadze Center
Pros:
1. Rim Protecting
2. Floor Spacing
3. Passing
Cons
1. Lateral Quickness
2. Foul Prone
3. Free Throw Shooting
NBA Comparison:
Marc Gasol (CBS Sports)
Jusuf Nurkic, Enes Kanter (The Ringer)
Sekou Doumbouya starts off tier two of our draft board, checking in at number four. All three of the prospects in this part of the tier being very close. Sekou is a 6’9 athletic combo forward. He is very raw, but shows great potential on the defensive end with his length and athleticism. He also has nice tools offensively, showing improving dribble pull ups and an evolving outside shot. The Atlanta Hawks do have interest in Doumbouya, after recently conducting a private workout with the forward, according to Jeremy Woo of SI.com. Sekou who is one of the youngest prospects in this year’s draft, won’t be ready to start from day one, but if a team exercises patience with him, it could pay off in a huge way.
Bol Bol Versus Goga Bitadze
Two big men check in next at spots five and six on our big board. The polarizing Bol Bol and Goga Bitadze are those big men and I have them within a hair of being even as prospects. I actually drafted both men in our latest mock draft. Both men rebound and protect the rim very well. There definitely some differences between the two. The first difference is physical build. Bol is a slim 208 pounds while Goga has an NBA body at 250 pounds. Goga Bitadze is also a much more polished passer at this stage, though Bol does make some great passed at times.
On the other hand Bol Bol is a pure shooter, while Goga Bitadze is still improving in that area. Bol has such a good shot already, that’s it’s easy to see him becoming a 40+ percent three-point shooter for his career. That’s his most translatable skill, among the many skills he possesses. Another difference is ball handling. While Goga Bitadze is a good ball handler for his size, Bol Bol is next level when it comes to ball handling skills by a seven footer.
The last major difference between the two men is foul trouble. Bol Bol averaged only 2.2 fouls per 40 mins, Goga Bitadze committed a foul an average of 5.4 times per 36 minutes. Bol Bol committing so few fouls can be both a good and bad thing. It’s great that he is able to stay out of foul trouble, but it calls into question his aggressiveness on defense. It’s hard to commit that few amount of fouls, without some business decisions to avoid contact being made. Goga committing a high rate of fouls is also a double edge sword. Even though he still posted good numbers, (18 points and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes) Goga fouling at such a high rate will cause him to be foul trouble quite often until he adjusts. However it does speaking to his aggressiveness at attempting to block every shot possible.
Goga Bitadze is likely to be drafted before Bol Bol, due to the injury concerns of Bol. Yet I am not privileged to have access to Bol’s medical reports, so I will not hold that against him without knowing the long-term prognosis. Injuries are a part of basketball. So for that reason I ranked Bol Bol at five, a hair above Goga Bitadze at six. Yet this decision truly will come down to the eye of the beholder. However I would be smiling if either or both guys, are walking across the stage donning an Atlanta Hawks cap come draft night.