With only 5 days to go until the 2018 NBA Draft, it’s time for our final mock draft of the 2017-18 offseason. After much prognostication, the Atlanta Hawks will finally put to bed all the rumors and select 4 players within the first 34 selections in this year’s draft. Though some trades are almost certain all throughout this year’s draft telecast, we have previously expressed no interest in trading up for the Hawks. Trading down is slightly more palatable, but honestly, 4 Top-34 selections, including the #3 overall pick, is a pretty great haul – one that can transform the fortunes of the franchise in a few years’ time. We’ve covered a lot of players in the buildup to this year’s draft, so please check out our Hawks draft coverage right here. Finally, all that research comes to fruition, and it’s time to see exactly who the team will select. So read on, and enjoy our final Hawks Mock Draft before the NBA Draft on June 21.<doc-sep>Wings are more important than ever in today’s NBA but, in the 2018 NBA Draft, many of the top available prospects are big men. In fact, only Luka Doncic and (perhaps) Michael Porter Jr. are seen as potential top-five selections among this year’s wing crop. However, there are a number of quality wing and perimeter-oriented prospects projected later in the first round and a recent mock draft from Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated sends two of them to Atlanta. As the headliner, the Hawks tabbed Michigan State big man Jaren Jackson Jr. with the No. 3 pick, citing “a critical duality for modern bigs” in the youngster’s ability to both space the floor offensively and defend the rim (and in space) defensively. Beyond that, though, Maryland wing Kevin Huerter was the pick at No. 19 overall and Woo had this to say about the choice. One of the biggest risers over the course of the predraft process, Huerter is known to have secured at least one guarantee from teams further down in the first round and has shut down his workouts. The Lakers and Jazz have both been linked to him as destinations. It seems like his landing spot may wind up a little higher than that, and he’s also been tied heavily to teams selecting in the teens. The Hawks worked him out and are known to be among the interested parties, and his size and shooting ability would seem to offer a level of safety and reasonable floor. As long as his defense proves to be enough, Huerter should be able to carve out a career as a shooter and ball-mover. As noted above, there are whispers of a “promise” of sorts for Huerter that paved the way for him to remain in the draft. Though there is no firm reporting on the Hawks as that team, Atlanta is believed to be in the range where it would make sense and Huerter’s propensity for jump shooting has led many to compare him to Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson. For me, that is a very aggressive comparison and not one that I would utilize at this point in time. Still, Huerter is a fast-rising prospect for a reason and his shooting ability and overall scoring acumen are very attractive. Though I would rank him lower than No. 19 overall on my board, it wouldn’t be an egregious reach by any means and, frankly, the blow would be softened a bit by Sports Illustrated’s projection with the No. 30 pick. After noting that, of course, the Hawks may attempt to package their three picks between No. 19 and No. 34 to move up in this class, Woo writes the following about Tulane swingman Melvin Frazier. One of the combine’s big winners who shut it down on the second day of scrimmages, Frazier has big-time tools, a workable jumper and a nearly 7’2” wingspan. His game isn’t polished, but he covers a ton of ground and is the type of flier teams are eager to take. He has some bad habits and is more of a reactive than instinctive player who needs work as a decision-maker—his feel for scoring just isn’t that great. But if Frazier plays hard consistently, hits open threes and continues to generate extra possessions on the defensive end, he could make it work. He’s getting looks in the late first round. Frazier is a prospect that many non-diehards haven’t had the chance to fully evaluate, simply because he operated off the radar at the college level. Still, his measurables are off the charts (including the aforementioned 7’2 wingspan) and Frazier is a tremendous defensive prospect as a result. For me, the question comes with his jump shot, even after he converted 38.5 percent of his threes during his final college season. If Frazier can be consistent as a shooter, avenues open up for a highly productive career as a modern 3-and-D player with great size and, at No. 30 overall, the value could be immense. Stay tuned as more mock drafts roll in. The countdown is on.<doc-sep>The Atlanta Hawks have three picks in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft – No. 3, No. 19 and No. 30 – and they can reshape the identity of the team with smart selections. Point guard Trae Young, who has drawn comparisons to Steph Curry, could be an option for Atlanta with the third overall pick. Does Trae Young have the potential to be the next Steph Curry? More from @jlarryshields of @CCMachine in today's Draft Profile: https://t.co/kjFWUfIn4f — Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) June 5, 2018 The similarities are strong enough that Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal called the Oklahoma freshman “Baby Steph” back in January 2018. Many people have mentioned Curry when describing Young since he just had one of the most impressive shooting seasons in the history of college basketball. He and Curry have become close, too, and Young even attended multiple playoff games to watch the Golden State Warriors star. Jeremy Woo reported that the Hawks covet the sharpshooter (via Sports Illustrated): “Atlanta could also look to flip 19 and 30 or 34 for a better selection. There’s also a sense they might consider offers to move down from No. 3, and are known to have interest in Trae Young in that scenario.” His marketability, name-recognition and overall potential could make him a good fit for the franchise. He averaged 27.4 points and 8.7 assists, which both led the NCAA. Young also hit 3.7 three-pointers per game, and his offensive box plus-minus was also the best among all college players. When asked about who the Hawks should draft, Atlanta-based hip-hop star Quavo said Young would help the culture of the city. He later doubled down on this, saying Young could be Atlanta’s own “Splash Bro.” T R A E Y O U N G T O @ATLHawks A T L s O W N S P A L S H B R O T H A C U L T U R E I S B E H I N D Y O U 🙌🏾 #THATSWATWENEED — QuavoYRN (@QuavoStuntin) June 12, 2018 Young, however, is not the only player who is getting compared to one of the reigning champions. Kevin Huerter, who opted to stay in the draft after just one season at Maryland, is often mentioned in the same breath as Golden State’s 3-and-D star Klay Thompson. Huerter averaged 14.8 points and made 2.3 three-pointers per game last year, and he had the second-best effective field goal percentage in his conference last season. Huerter also looked very sharp in the combine scrimmages. Going through video of Maryland’s Kevin Huerter… Comparisons are always tricky, but his game reminds me so much of Klay Thompson’s… Similar size. Quick release. Crazy range. Ease with which he shoots it. — Adam Stanco (@NaismithLives) June 9, 2018 Sam Vecenie projected Huerter would be selected by the Hawks in his latest mock draft (via The Athletic): “There has been speculation that he received a promise somewhere in that range, with multiple teams being rumored to have done it … Heurter had a strong workout with the Hawks, and general manager Travis Schlenk — who comes from Golden State — possibly sees the outline of a Klay Thompson clone in Huerter.” As mentioned by Vecenie, many around the league believe that Huerter has received a “promise” by one of the teams with a pick in the first round. In a recent report from Woo, he suggested teams in the league believe the Utah Jazz are the most likely suitor. However, it’s worth mentioning that ESPN’s Bill Riley says it’s not in Utah’s method of operations to offer a draft promise to a prospect. Regardless, the Hawks (No. 19) pick before the Jazz (No. 21) in Huerter’s range. Earlier this week @JeremyWoo reported that teams around the believe the Jazz provided a 1st-round guaranteed to draft prospect Kevin Huerter. It's worth mentioning that @espn700bill just told me he would be surprised if Utah was the team, however, because that's not their method. — Bryan Kalbrosky (@BryanKalbrosky) June 6, 2018 Young will work out with the Hawks on Tuesday and they’ll reportedly be one of four teams he will meet with before the draft. Huerter, as mentioned by Vecenie, had a draft work out with the franchise last month. If there is a person ready to spot the next Curry and Thompson, it would be Atlanta general manager Travis Schlenk. He was with the Warriors since 2004 before taking this role with the Hawks. Schlenk is well-regarded as a talent evaluator and he was the director of player personnel when Golden State drafted Curry. He was also the assistant general manager when the Warriors selected Thompson. With the squad in Philly for tomorrow’s game, former Dubs assistant coach Lloyd Pierce reflects on his relationship with @StephenCurry30​ 👀 pic.twitter.com/uk7iZkBmjr — Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 17, 2017 Lloyd Pierce, now the head coach for Atlanta, was an assistant for Golden State during the 2010-11 season. He worked directly with Curry when the two-time MVP was in his second year in the league. He could be the perfect person to develop Young in the NBA. The Hawks do have an enormous amount of money owed to point guard Dennis Schroeder, but Schlenk was not the executive that drafted him nor was he in charge of the regime when he was given a large contract extension. It would be hard to trade his cumbersome contract, but if the front office is indeed enamored with Young, it won’t be Schroeder that will get in the way. Expect the team to do their due diligence, eyeing other potential targets like Jaren Jackson Jr. as well as Mo Bamba and perhaps even Luka Doncic. If they do like what they see from Young and Huerter, though, they’d become a team worth paying attention to as they develop.<doc-sep>The Atlanta Hawks head into the draft armed with some serious capital. Picks at 3, 19, 30 and 34 have Atlanta poised to draft the next set of difference makers for the franchise. With a big man likely to be picked at #3, we’re taking a look at our second pick received in a 2014 trade with Minnesota. The Hawks have drafted relatively well when it comes to guards in past years, taking guys like Dennis Schröder and Tyler Dorsey. With the Schroder relationship starting to sour, Atlanta should look at some more guard options with the 19th pick in this years draft. We’ll be comparing the former National Player of the Year Jalen Brunson, Miami freshman Lonnie Walker, super athlete Zhaire Smith, high-schooler Anfernee Simons and Frenchman Elie Okobo, seeing which one gives the Hawks the best chance of being our playmaker of the future.<doc-sep>
With the 2018 NBA Draft roughly a week away, our parent site, FanSided reached out to all Site Experts for all 30 NBA teams, and we proceeded to mock draft the entire first round of the upcoming NBA draft. Though the first three picks were not particularly surprising, things got a little wacky as the round went on. Take a look at the full Mock Draft here. With most outlets agreeing that Luka Doncic and DeAndre Ayton are the best prospects available (no matter the order), our site experts also were of that belief as well, with the Suns taking Ayton first and the Kings taken Doncic second with picks that would surprise no one. There have been whispers that both the Kings and Hawks would pass on Doncic if he was available (which we pray doesn’t come to fruition), but in this instance, that did not happen. That left us with a tough choice with the 3rd overall pick. Jaren Jackson Jr. is an astonishing prospect, and is helped by the fact that he is one of the youngest prospects in this draft. He was also one of the best defenders among the Top 8 choices, and projects to be a difference-maker on that end of the floor. Mohamed Bamba has rocketed up boards in recent weeks after he showed impressive touch on his jump shot, as well as aced the interview process in private workouts with lottery teams. Oh, he also has a NBA Draft Combine-record 7-foot-10-inch wingspan – longer than Rudy Gobert’s.