The 2022 NBA Offseason is upon us, and Thursday’s draft marks the unofficial-official start of the NBA’s offseason carousel. Following the crowning of the Golden State Warriors, the NBA’s other 29 franchises are scrambling to find any way to better their respective teams and rosters for the upcoming season. The Atlanta Hawks are entering, maybe their biggest offseason to date, as the fate of the team’s future hangs in the balance. Ownership and front office have said they want to win now, but the roster is still very young and clearly missing some pieces. This offseason could lay the foundation for the franchise for years to come.
Rumors are swirling around the team, and anyone not named, Trae Young, De’Andre Hunter or Onyeka Okongwu, could be on the move. This team could look a whole lot different after Thursday night. Atlanta may not even use their 16th selection depending on what they end up doing. At this point in time, and with the potential overhaul of the roster, pretty much all options are on the table for Atlanta at pick 16. Best player available may be the route to go, filling the void of a secondary playmaker and scorer could also be an option or packaging the pick as part of a larger deal. Even at pick 16, there are several prospects that Atlanta and Hawks fans should be excited about if they land in Atlanta.
Check out below to see who the Hawks should target in this year’s draft:
Tari Eason (Forward-LSU)
Eason was an important part of LSU’s return to the NCAA Tournament last season. After another brutal gauntlet through the SEC schedule, Eason led the Tigers to a respectable 22-12 mark and a sixth-seed for the NCAA Tournament. Eason finished with an impressive stat-line of, 16.9ppg, 6.6rpg, 1.0apg, 1.9spg & 1.1bpg, earning himself All-SEC First Team and SEC Sixth-Man of the Year honors for the 2021-22 season. At 6-8, Eason has great size and length, at the two or three, and his scoring ability makes him a potential rotation-player from day one. With the Hawks in a state of limbo, regarding the current roster, a 6-8 scoring wing is something that would be very welcomed in Atlanta. In addition, his effort on defense and two-steal, one-block per game average is something that should directly translate to the NBA-level.
There is not much to pick at Eason’s game, but at the same time there is a reason why he could be available to the Hawks and other teams around the 16th selection. After only averaging an assist a game in college, his lack of playmaking could be an issue transitioning into the NBA. A potential pairing with Trae Young in the back court, minimizes that inability. Defensively, he has the length, but it would be nice to see Eason add some bulk muscle to prepare for the daily rigors of a full NBA season. All-in-all, if Eason is available at pick 16, and the Hawks keep the pick, it could be a great value in the middle of the first.
Jaden Hardy (Guard-G-League Ignite)
Hardy skipped the typical collegiate route, and blazed his own path via the NBA’s G-League playing for the Ignite. Hardy only played in 12 games, but boasted a respectable stat-line of, 17.7ppg, 4.6rpg, 3.2apg and 1.3spg. Given the small sample size, Hardy is a tough prospect to judge, but many NBA minds and talking heads think if Hardy went the collegiate route, he could have been a surefire top-ten pick. Hardy has all the tools to be a star-player in today’s NBA. Much like Eason, Hardy would fill an immediate need as a secondary scorer and playmaker. With his G-League experience, Head Coach Nate McMillan, might forego his adage of “not playing rookies” to a guy that has some pro-ball under his belt.
Hardy is not the ideal size at the two guard being only 6-4. Slotting him with Young gives the Hawks an even smaller backcourt than what they already have in Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic. Hardy also shot a dismal 26.9% from beyond the arc, which will drastically need improving to be a day-in-day-out contributor at the NBA level.
Ousmane Dieng (Center/Forward-France)
Ousmane Dieng might be one of the more interesting prospects in the entire draft. Highly-touted out of France, Dieng spent last season playing in New Zealand’s NBL League for the same club that LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton played for in years past. At 6-10, and with a reported wingspan of seven feet, Dieng has an NBA frame that can be molded into a unicorn-type player. Dieng’s statistics do not show his upside as a prospect, but leagues overseas play sometimes a 10 or 12-man rotation, so stats can be very skewed. Dieng played in 23 games, averaging 20mpg, and finished with a season stat-line of, 8.9ppg, 3.2rpg, 1.1apg and 0.3bpg. One thing that is not skewed is the potential of what Dieng could be. Ideally as a 6-10 player, you would have liked to see his rebounding and blocks per game be a bit higher, but with NBA coaching Dieng could become an unstoppable force on both ends of the court.
The big thing with Dieng is that he is most likely a project or developmental prospect. Something I do not know if the Hawks are willing to take on. His shooting splits were not all that great either finishing with totals of, 51.4 FG % – 27.1% 3PT FG% – 66.7% FT. In addition, Atlanta just lost one of the best shooting coaches in the league in Chris Jent, who took an assistant coaching job for the Los Angeles Lakers. So development in terms of our coaching staff is a huge question mark. Again, if the team was not in win-now or contention mode he would be a great developmental prospect to cash in on. I just do not think the Hawks are on that timeline.
Who else would like to see the Hawks draft? Should the keep or trade the pick? Let us know in the comment section below:
