Welcome to the off-season, Atlanta! With the NBA Draft just under a week away, it is time to examine who the Hawks could select with the 15th overall pick.
Despite the 2023 NBA Draft class being one of the most anticipated classes in recent memory, the Atlanta Hawks find themselves in somewhat of a difficult position, picking at 15th overall. For one, there are question marks over who will be available, but most mocks have a consensus top-nine combination of Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, Brandon Williams, Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson, Cam Whitmore, Taylor Hendricks, Anthony Black, and Jarace Walker, but after that is where it gets murky. Given the Hawks’ bloated cap situation, (10 of their top rotation players from last year are under contract through next season), Atlanta does not really have a spot in the rotation for any of the players that they draft, unless, they opt to trade one of the players’ ahead of them in the depth chart.
It is looking increasingly likely that the Hawks will move on from a few of their heftier contracts in the next couple of weeks, but without any clarity on who will be moved and what they will be getting in return, it is difficult to project exactly what the Hawks are looking for in a draft pick.
With the San Antonio Spurs in control Atlanta’s first-round picks from 2025-2028, the pressure is on for Atlanta to capitalize on their picks this year and next year, as finding players who can contribute in the near-term and on a cost-controlled contract will certainly help as the franchise tries to untangle themselves from the mess of a cap-situation that they have gotten themselves into.
Without further ado, here are three players’ that the Hawks could look to target with the 15th pick.
Bilal Coulibaly
School/Team: Metropolitans 92 | Age: 18 | Height: 6’7” | Weight: 230 | Position: Wing |
One of this year’s late risers, Bilal Coulibaly is one of the most fascinating prospects in this year’s class given his youth, defensive prowess, and rapid development over the past few seasons.
At the start of 2020, Coulibaly was just a 5’7” 15 year-old, but sprouted up to 6’3” by the summer of 2021, and grew to 6’6” midway through the following season. In ’21-2022, he played for the Metropolitans 92 U-21 team and averaged 11.7 points (on 52% True Shooting percentage), 4.7 rebounds, and 2.6 “stocks” (steals + blocks), per game as a 17 year-old. At the start of the ’22-2023 season, Coulibaly split time between the U-21 team and the senior team, and quickly proved that he belonged with the senior side full-time, as he averaged 21.9 points (on 62% True Shooting percentage), 6.4 rebounds, and 3.8 “stocks,” per game in 16 games for the U-21 team this season. By January, Coulibaly had worked his way into the rotation for the senior team and became a full-time starter by mid-April, ahead of their playoff push. Two weeks ago, he played 36 minutes and dropped 16 points on 6-10 shooting, in a 71-69 win to help Metropolitans 92 advance to the finals of the French league.
While his box score averages for the senior side do not necessarily jump off the screen (5.9 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.1 “stocks” in 20 minutes a night), Coulibaly’s primary value comes on the defensive end of the floor. With a great frame, a monstrous 7’2” wingspan, and excellent lateral quickness, Coulibaly is a bloodhound on defense, as his combination of size and speed gives him the ability to guard across the 1-4 positions. His ball screen navigation skills are impressive, and he can use his length to contest shots even when it looks like he is out of the play. While his off-ball defense is seen as a bit of a weakness at this point, he is a terrific athlete who will be a plus-level defender from day one and has all the tools to be an All-Defense player someday.
The offensive end is where the questions begin to emerge for Coulibaly. He was not a big part of Metropolitans 92’s game plan this year, getting a lot of his buckets in transition and off put-back;s. That being said, Coulibaly showed some nice touch inside the paint, and shot 36.5% from the three-point line, so there is hope that he can develop a reliable jump shot with some extra attention from NBA shooting coaches. His ability to create off the dribble in the half-court is a little shaky at the moment, relying on his size a little more than his skill, so he will need to be able to consistently knock down open shots in order to provide offensive value early on in his career. He is somebody that would greatly benefit from some time in the G-League as he works to sharpen his offensive skills.
When it comes to how Coulibaly would fit on the Hawks, this is a team that has ranked in the bottom-10 in defensive rating in five out of the last six years (they finished 16th in 2021, the same season they made the Conference Finals). Dejounte Murray was not as good of a one-on-one defender as advertised last season and did a lot of his defensive damage in the passing lanes. De’Andre Hunter has had his moments defensively, but was torched in the playoffs by Jayson Tatum, and can be a bit of a foul magnet at times. Bogdan Bogdanovic, A.J. Griffin and Saddiq Bey are not exactly a fearsome trio on the defensive end of the floor. While Coulibaly’s offensive limitations will likely limit his playing time early on in his career, his defensive upside alone is simply too tantalizing to pass up for a Hawks’ team that is devoid of a legitimately scary point of attack defender.
If he can smoothen out some of the rougher edges of his offensive game and become a consistent catch-and-shoot three-point threat, Coulibaly has the ideal skill set that you would want to place alongside Trae Young and Murray as he can be a low-usage rate offensive player, with the ability to take out the opposing team’s best perimeter player on the defensive end. When you remember that Coulibaly has just completed his first season playing against top-level competition, and was absolutely dominant in the U-21 league as an 18 year-old, it is hard not to salivate when imagining what Coulibaly’s potential could be.
If the Hawks are willing to be patient with his development, Coulibalby could end up being one of the biggest steals of the draft.
Gradey Dick
School/Team: Kansas | Age: 19 | Height: 6’6” | Weight: 204 | Position: Wing |
Despite having some serious question marks on the defensive end of the floor, Gradey Dick is arguably the best pure shooter in this year’s draft and would be a welcome addition to a Hawks’ team that ranked in the bottom half of the league in both three-point shooting accuracy (21st) and frequency (30th) last season. Dick, the 2021-22 Gatorade National Player of the Year and a consensus five-star recruit out of high school, was a full-time starter on Kansas last season, and averaged just over 14 points per game, while shotting 40% from the three-point stripe on nearly six attempts per game.
Standing at 6’8” in shoes, he has excellent size for a floor spacer, and a quick, high release on his jump-shot which makes it tough to block. Dick is advanced when it comes to moving off the ball, able to shoot out of a variety of actions, which creates havoc for opposing defenses. In that same vein, he is also an excellent cutter, and knows when to take advantage of defenses that overplay him on the three-point line.
Dick is an underrated passer and makes good reads when he draws a double team. All in all, he is an extremely intelligent offensive player which, combined with his pristine shooting touch, gives him one of the highest floors in his draft range.
While Dick’s offensive skill set lends itself to being useful in pretty much any NBA system, it is not all sunshine and rainbows for him as a prospect as he still has a ways to go on the defensive end of the floor. While he does not lack effort on the less glamorous end (he averaged 1.4 steals per game and did not shy away from taking charges in college), he does not quite have the strength or lateral quickness to hang with NBA-level wings one-on-one at this stage in his development. His defense was targeted at times in college and is sure to be exploited at the professional level if he does not improve.
Regarding his fit with the Hawks, Dick has the potential to slot in really nicely alongside Young and Murray, as his knockdown shooting ability would give the two lead guards more space to create a shot for themselves or a reliable outlet who could make defenders pay for over helping. While he would not help the Hawks’ deeply flawed perimeter defense, he still has room to grow on that end and appears to be a willing learner. If he can figure things out on defense, he could be a solid starter sooner rather than later.
Dick’s pathway towards minutes would be a little murky in Atlanta, as the team currently has five players to man the 2 and 3 positions next season in Murray, Hunter, Bogdanovic, Griffin and Bey. Dick’s skill set overlaps with those of Bogdanovic, Griffin and Bey, as offense-first, spot-up threats who struggle on the defensive end making it somewhat of an awkward fit if the team is looking to balance out its bench unit.
That being said, Hunter and Bogdanovic are on fairly expensive long-term deals and if the Hawks’ plan to move on from one (or both) of them this summer for some cap relief, having a player like Dick on the roster, who would be on a cost-controlled contract for the next four years.
While most mocks have Dick projected to go between picks 10-14, if he does fall to the Hawks at 15, I think they should strongly consider adding him into the fold as he is a player that could contribute sooner rather than later.
Cason Wallace
School/Team: Kentucky | Age: 19 | Height: 6’2” | Weight: 195 | Position: Guard |
Standing at 6’2” with a 6’8” wingspan, Cason Wallace is one of the best perimeter defenders at the guard position available in this year’s draft. Effective as both an on-ball defender and an off-ball defender, Wallace averaged 2 steals and 0.5 blocks per game at Kentucky, and his 3.7% steal percentage last season was flat-out ridiculous. While he is not the biggest guard out there, his excellent strength, lateral quickness and basketball IQ make him a difficult matchup for opposing guards. His anticipation skills give him the ability to beat bigger players to a spot and draw a charge. Wallace plays with a fire under his belly, is an extremely active defender and is unafraid of making the hustle plays which should endear him to the fans of whichever team selects him.
On the offensive end, Wallace scored 11.7 points per game on a respectable 44/34/75 shooting split and dished out 4.3 assists per game in college. More of a scorer than a set-up man, he has nice touch from the mid-range, shot 35% on catch-and-shoot threes (albeit on a low volume), and has a quick, fluid release, lending credence to the idea that his jump shot could turn into a real weapon in the NBA. How his shot develops is going to be a crucial element when it comes to figuring out Wallace’s ceiling, as there are some real question marks surrounding his ability to create separation at the next level, meaning it could be hard for him to have an offensive impact without a consistent catch-and-shoot jumper. Wallace also did not run a lot of pick & roll at Kentucky last year and could experience some growing pains if/when he is asked to run them at a higher rate in the NBA.
How would Wallace fit on the Hawks? As another player with a strong defensive resume, he would certainly help improve Atlanta’s leaky perimeter defense. Given his lack of size, it is tough to envision him sharing the floor with both Young and Murray, however whenever one of them comes out of the game, Wallace would be a terrific option to have off the bench. He would immediately be the Hawks’ 2nd best defensive guard (behind Murray) and would help bolster the defense and ball handling for an Atlanta bench unit that is in serious need of help in those two areas. As is the case with anybody the Hawks’ draft, their path to playing time will be a bit murky given that their top-10 rotation players from last season are under contract through next season, however if the Hawks were to move on from Bogdanovic this summer, Wallace could be an excellent candidate to help replace some of his minutes along with Griffin, who would likely see a bump as well.
While Atlanta drafting Wallace would almost certainly add fuel to the fire of the Murray trade-rumors, the two would make for a formidable backcourt tandem as they would create a ton of havoc on the defensive end of the floor, especially if used against other teams’ bench units. As is the case with a lot of young guards in the draft over the past few years, Wallace unlocking his three-point shot will be a crucial step in his development. If his shooting flourishes, he has the chance to be a really strong two-way guard in this league.
Would you be happy if the Hawks drafted Coulibaly, Dick or Wallace? Who do you think the Hawks should go after? What position should be prioritized? Let us know in the comment section below!
