2021 Draft Grades for the Atlanta Hawks

2021 Draft Grades for the Atlanta Hawks:

Always Trust in Travis

There was a steady dose of anxiety in every Hawks fan this past Thursday, as just mere hours before the draft, rumors were swirling of a trade using the 20th pick and young forward Cam Reddish. Most of these trades involved the Indiana Pacers’ 13th pick, a seemingly small move to give up such talent. However, Travis Schlenk pulled a fastball, keeping their selection and Reddish while having an overall fantastic draft. This is nothing new to Schlenk, as his tenure in Atlanta has seen him make some of the best draft-day decisions in franchise history. With that said, with the 20th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks Select…

Jalen Johnson 6’9 Forward, Duke University

Boy, do the Atlanta Hawks love wings or what? For the second draft in a row, the Hawks select a forward in the first round, and a very talented one at that. At 6’9 with a 7’0 wingspan, the combo forward out of Duke has tremendous versatility on both ends. Projected to go in the top 10 of this year’s draft, the Hawks may have gotten the steal of the draft. Why did he fall to the 20th pick? That will be discussed later, but first, let’s talk about the positives:

The Case for Johnson: The NBA is run by talented forwards. Lebron James, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, are just a few examples of excellent wings in the NBA. The key to these players’ success? Their versatility. Johnson can swap seamlessly between shooting guard, small forward, and even a small-ball power forward. As far as the offensive end, Jalen brings a combination of, shooting, touch, and rebounding. Through 13 games, he averaged 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 52% shooting from the field and 44.4% from the three-point line. The best aspect of his game could be his playmaking ability, as his passing and vision are incredibly strong. He was touted as a “point forward” by many analysts. Simply put, the guy can do everything, and in the modern NBA, this versatility will carry him. Defensively it is much of the same, averaging 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals. He shows tremendous upside to be either a three-and-D wing or a high-volume shot creator. 

The Case Against Johnson: For all of his upside, Jalen has had quite a few setbacks that caused him to fall to the 20th pick. The COVID-19 Pandemic ravaged college basketball and Johnson as well. Johnson opted out of Duke after playing 13 games, as Duke struggle to make the NCAA Tournament. Also, Jalen played a mere nine games for his high school IMG before returning home to Milwaukee. There is a logical explanation for this, the COVID-19 virus; however, many front offices couldn’t justify taking someone who played that few games in the top ten. The fit on the Hawks is also quite questionable as the Hawks already have a plethora of forwards.

Overall Review: Johnson has the talent to be a star in the NBA, and while the lack of games played to this point is alarming, the Hawks simply could not pass on someone that talented with the 20th pick. Johnson is a high ceiling, low floor prospect, precisely the type of player a deep team with a lot of young talent should be looking for. The fact that Reddish was not in some way involved in a trade for this pick could merit a B by itself, but I give this pick a A.

Ceiling: Tobias Harris

Floor: Dorian Finney-Smith

With the 48th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks select…

Sharife Cooper 6’1 Guard, Auburn University

Cooper was also projected to go in the first round. Once again, Travis stuck to his best player available stance, and Sharife was absolutely that. The 6’1 guard can immediately step into the bench unit and make an impact, something the Hawks desperately needed in the 2021 Playoffs.

The Case for Sharife: Shades of Hawks’ star Trae Young are abundant for Cooper. At Auburn, the guard averaged 20.2 points and 8.1 assists in 12 games. Sharife was only the 2nd freshman in D1 history to average 20+ppg while also boasting 8+ apg. The 1st player on that list? Trae Young. Cooper was named to the SEC All-Freshman team and was consistently ranked as one of the top prospects out of the SEC. Both his playmaking and scoring will be necessary for a Hawks team that saw an immediate decline in offense when superstar Trae Young sat. While the efficiency wasn’t excellent, Cooper did great in a shortened season and will be welcomed to Atlanta’s bench.

The Case Against Sharife: Once again, Cooper’s lack of games played in college due to an NCAA investigation played a huge role in him falling in the draft. Pair that with his poor efficiency, and you can see him dropping a fair amount. However, where the Hawk’s drafted him, this was a no-brainer pick.

Overall Review: Cooper and Johnson are similar in many ways; both fell because of the amount of games played, or lack thereof. But their talent transcends that, and both were absolute steals at the positions they were drafted, especially Sharife. Very rarely, if ever, does a first-round talent slip to the second round, especially to the 48th pick. I give this pick an A+.

Ceiling: De’Aaron Fox

Floor: Aaron Holiday