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3 Options For Atlanta Hawks With No. 1 Pick In 2024 NBA Draft
The Atlanta Hawks hit the lottery on Sunday afternoon.
For the first time ever, Atlanta will make the first selection in the NBA Draft. This is a chance for the Hawks to add a player that can help the team return to the postseason. With a centerpiece in place in Trae Young, the Hawks have pieces to build around.
Below, check out three options that can help the Hawks right away during their rookie year.
3. Donovan Clingan, C, UConn
Clingan helped lead UConn to back-to-back National Championships. This year, he saw a major upgrade in minutes and took advantage of the opportunity. Clingan averaged 13 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. At 7-foot-2, he became one of the best shot blockers in the game. Clingan showed an ability to play through contact and score in the post with a soft touch. Pair that with an elite defensive game, Clingan turned into one of the best prospects in the upcoming draft.
2. Nikola Topic, G, Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)
As good as Clingan is, this draft is full of international prospects that will be taken in the lottery. Topic has a chance to be one of the first ones off the board. Topic put up 18.4 points and 7.1 assists on loan to Serbian club KK Mega for 13 games from Crvena. The problem might be that Topic is a guard and this is an area that the Hawks are set up in with Young and Dejounte Murray. A lack of depth reared its ugly head when Young went down but that is an extreme situation. Rather than taking a guard, the Hawks could be looking for its next impact big man. If they do go the guard route then Topic could be at the top of their list.
1. Alexandre Sarr, C, Perth (Australia)
Sarr has quickly emerged as one of the two best prospects in the draft. At 7-foot-1 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, Sarr is believed to be an extraordinary defensive player. He averaged 1.3 blocks per game this past season and this is an area where Atlanta needs to improve. Offensively, Sarr will enter the NBA as a bit of a raw prospect. He struggled from three-point range and will need to develop a midrange shot as well. Sarr can score from the paint and around the rim. He also averaged just 4.4 rebounds per game. The Hawks will have some work to do with Sarr but in terms of potential, there are few that grade better.
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