# 2015 Atlanta Hawks Draft



## ATLien

The Brooklyn series will be over quickly and the Toronto/Washington series could drag on. Good time to review this year's likely lottery picks and who might fall.

Here is the current Top 15 big board from Draft Express:



> 1. Karl Towns PF/C
> Kentucky, Freshman
> 
> 2. Jahlil Okafor C
> Duke, Freshman
> 
> 3. Emmanuel Mudiay PG
> Guangdong, International
> 
> 4. D'Angelo Russell PG/SG
> Ohio State, Freshman
> 
> 5. Justise Winslow SF
> Duke, Freshman
> 
> 6. Willie Cauley-Stein C
> Kentucky, Junior
> 
> 7. Mario Hezonja SG/SF
> Barcelona, International
> 
> 8. Kristaps Porzingis PF
> Sevilla, International
> 
> 9. Stanley Johnson SF
> Arizona, Freshman
> 
> 10. Frank Kaminsky PF
> Wisconsin, Senior
> 
> 11. Jakob Poeltl C
> Utah, Freshman
> 
> 12. Myles Turner C
> Texas, Freshman
> 
> 13. Kelly Oubre SF
> Kansas, Freshman
> 
> 14. Kris Dunn PG
> Providence, Sophomore
> 
> 15. Sam Dekker SF
> Wisconsin, Junior


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## 29380

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/597891511938850817


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## ATLien

Point guard is the only position Atlanta has no business drafting. Haha, suck it, Billy Knight.


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## R-Star

Should still be some decent rotation talent around at that pick.


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## E.H. Munro

ATLien said:


> Point guard is the only position Atlanta has no business drafting. Haha, suck it, Billy Knight.


No Dunn or Poeltl. I would guess Dekker or Kaminsky if they're on the board. This draft is sort of depressing outside the top 10-12. Bobby Portis is quick, but he's the worst jumper this side of Kevin Love. Trey Lyles is a sort of slightly taller Brandon Bass. Looney could be a crack whore's Shawn Marion, but then again he could be out of the NBA in a coupe of years.


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## ATLien

E.H. Munro said:


> No Dunn or Poeltl. I would guess Dekker or Kaminsky if they're on the board. This draft is sort of depressing outside the top 10-12. Bobby Portis is quick, but he's the worst jumper this side of Kevin Love. Trey Lyles is a sort of slightly taller Brandon Bass. Looney could be a crack whore's Shawn Marion, but then again he could be out of the NBA in a coupe of years.


I was going to mention that another ball handler would be great, maybe a combo guard, but it would be difficult to find enough playing time for three point guards. If anything, the playoffs have shown Atlanta doesn't have enough players that can create and get easy buckets. If Dennis continues to develop, I could see them trading Teague in the future. I believe their contracts both expire at the same time.

Kaminsky could be a better shooting version of Mike Scott or Pero Antic, I guess.


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## R-Star

Kamisky will be gone. Larry Bird is going to draft him and further ruin the Pacers.


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## ATLien

The new DraftExpress mock has us drafting SF Sam Dekker. He measured at 6'9" at the combine.

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2015/


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## bball2223

Dekker has potential, but I'm still leery of him at the next level. He had a great tournament until the title game, but it was not indicative of his shooting on a consistent basis. With the Hawks current roster you could do a lot worse than Dekker though.


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## UD40

Portis. Like I told you in our Facebook chat; he's a big (6'11") but has the versatility to step out and knock down jumpers (both 2PT & 3PT) and work wonders on the high P&R with Dennis. Slip screen pick n' pop for days.


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## ATLien

bball2223 said:


> Dekker has potential, but I'm still leery of him at the next level. He had a great tournament until the title game, but it was not indicative of his shooting on a consistent basis. With the Hawks current roster you could do a lot worse than Dekker though.


From what I have read, his best case scenario is Gordon Hayward but I don't know if that's just because he's white or if they actually are similar players. 

This is an important draft for Atlanta because we probably won't be picking this high again in a while and our cap situation is wide open. It would be in Atlanta's interests to find a wing or big man they can develop into a starter by 2017 or 2018 sort of how they've slowly brought Dennis Schröder around since 2013.


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## ATLien

UD40 said:


> Portis. Like I told you in our Facebook chat; he's a big (6'11") but has the versatility to step out and knock down jumpers (both 2PT & 3PT) and work wonders on the high P&R with Dennis. Slip screen pick n' pop for days.


You also mentioned Myles Turner. Definitely another intriguing guy that Atlanta could use should some team make Millsap an insane offer in a couple months or if Horford decides to reunite with Billy Donovan next summer.


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## E.H. Munro

ATLien said:


> From what I have read, his best case scenario is Gordon Hayward but I don't know if that's just because he's white or if they actually are similar players.


It's the whole "He's 6'9" and white!!!" thing. They really aren't all that similar. Dekker plays hard, and will probably be a decent roleplayer at the next level. But I wouldn't expect that tournament shooting streak to be an every day thing with him.



ATLien said:


> This is an important draft for Atlanta because we probably won't be picking this high again in a while and our cap situation is wide open. It would be in Atlanta's interests to find a wing or big man they can develop into a starter by 2017 or 2018 sort of how they've slowly brought Dennis Schröder around since 2013.


Unfortunately this draft really is a horror show outside the top 10-12. Kelly Oubre keeps getting dissed in the mocks, and he's one guy that I can absolutely see turning into a quality starter. Unfortunately I also have him in that 10-12 guys that I see making it and I don't think he's likely to slip out of the lottery.



ATLien said:


> You also mentioned Myles Turner. Definitely another intriguing guy that Atlanta could use should some team make Millsap an insane offer in a couple months or if Horford decides to reunite with Billy Donovan next summer.


Miles Turner's a great fit with Horford, but I'll be stunned if he slips out of the top ten. There's a 0% chance that he makes it past Indiana.


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## E.H. Munro

R-Star said:


> Kamisky will be gone. Larry Bird is going to draft him and further ruin the Pacers.


If it makes you feel any better if we take Bird's comments about the changing of the NBA game at face value he's looking for someone like Willie Cauley-Stein or Myles Turner rather than Kaminsky. And if he can't get either of them I could see him going for Dekker over Kaminsky as Dekker seems more in tune with his comments about the game moving to smaller/quicker players.


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## ATLien

E.H. Munro said:


> Unfortunately this draft really is a horror show outside the top 10-12.


Thanks, Brooklyn.

I read somewhere this week that the average draft position of Atlanta's starting five was 27.5. Getting the right player at #15 would go a long ways in improving the talent on the roster.


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## ATLien

Big Board 1.0 (not including players ranked 1-12 on DraftExpress)

Wing:
1. Devin Booker
2. Sam Dekker
3. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
4. R.J. Hunter
5. Justin Anderson

Power Forward:
1. Bobby Portis
2. Trey Lyles
3. Kevon Looney

If the Brooklyn had missed the playoffs, we would be talking about Stanley Johnson and Kelly Oubre. Damn.


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## ATLien

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/603901124920344577


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## E.H. Munro

Just say no to Hollis-Jefferson.


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## ATLien

Chad Ford projects Bobby Portis to the Atlanta Hawks and @UD40 approves.



> The Hawks finished the season in the bottom third in defensive rebounding. Then in the playoffs, they got absolutely demolished in the paint by the Cavs. They have Al Horford and Pero Antic and not much else. Portis' rebounding and shot-blocking ability, combined with an elite motor and unselfish attitude, should give the Hawks some much-needed size and energy off the bench. Wisconsin's Dekker is another option for them.


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## ATLien

Zach Harper of CBS projects Trey Lyles to the Atlanta Hawks



> The Hawks have a great balanced attack, but they don't have a lot of depth inside. Relying less on Elton Brand and Pero Antic while putting some incredible talent like Lyles as the backup 4 is perfect for them.


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## ATLien

Some dude at SB Nation has Kelly Oubre falling to 15. Hopefully that happens.



> Oubre has all of the tools NBA teams look for in a wing: length, athleticism and a pure shooting stroke. It's just a matter of whether he can put it all together. That happened at times during his one year at Kansas, but Bill Self treated every missed defensive rotation as an excuse to teach a hard lesson in self-discipline. Oubre may very well be better for it in the long run, but an uneven freshman season means he could be available at this point for Atlanta.


http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/6/11/8751889/nba-mock-draft-2015-new-york-knicks


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## ATLien

Sam Dekker worked out for the Hawks on Monday and Bobby Portis will work out on Friday.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/610562945873883136
Kevon Looney's agent says he worked out for Atlanta


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## ATLien

DraftExpress now has Oubre falling to Atlanta. Probably the best case scenario for us in terms of player outside the lottery with the highest ceiling


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## E.H. Munro

Chad Ford has Atlanta passing on him. A scenario I obviously favour. :bsmile:


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## ATLien

If you buy into trends and history, I don't believe the Spurs or Hawks since Danny Ferry came over have drafted a college freshman before. Then again, San Antonio was usually drafting at the end of the first round when all the good underclassmen were already selected.


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## ATLien

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/611537763154800640


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## ATLien

This would be interesting


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/613409780225441792

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/613410465373384706


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## BlakeJesus

ATLien said:


> This would be interesting
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/613409780225441792
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/613410465373384706


Hmmm, moving up to snag somebody like Cauley-Stine maybe? Devin Booker slide perhaps? Or maybe just to ensure they can get Sam Dekker?


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## ATLien

I don't even want Dekker at 15!

I just don't know what Indiana would ask for. It's only moving up four picks so you aren't trading away a starter or Dennis Schroder. Nobody else is worth targeting for Indiana except for maybe a future first round pick or Edy Tavares.


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## BlakeJesus

ATLien said:


> I don't even want Dekker at 15!
> 
> I just don't know what Indiana would ask for. It's only moving up four picks so you aren't trading away a starter or Dennis Schroder for that.


Giving up Schroder would be an awful move, I guess we'll have to wait and see if it's worthwhile based on who is available and what is given up.


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## Porn Player

I pray that Dekker is gone before the Raptors pick. Do it Hawks!


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## ATLien

DraftExpress has us drafting Kelly Oubre at 15 ahead of Bobby Portis and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. They also have Myles Turner and Willie Cauley-Stein dropping to 12 & 13. Oubre would be a good pick, but I wouldn't be mad if we moved up for one of the bigs.



> Oubre's stock has been volatile in recent weeks, as he's been getting mixed reviews in private workouts and background checks. Atlanta could well decide to swing for the fences and pick him here if he's still available. His size, length and potential as a perimeter shooting/multi-positional defender could be extremely attractive alongside their already existing roster pieces.


http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft-extended/2015/


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## ATLien

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/614147799282786304


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## BlakeJesus

ATLien said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/614147799282786304


What is being offered though?


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## ATLien

BlakeJesus said:


> What is being offered though?


Hopefully more than just cap relief


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## ATLien

Hawks trade the 15th pick for Tim Hardaway Jr. + 2 future second rounders

Hard to get excited about this one. Hardaway will make less money than whoever we would have selected so this looks like a cap move to help us re-sign Carroll and Millsap. I just wish we could have gotten a better player in return.


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## ATLien

Got to unteach Knicks basketball out of him. What a trash team


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/614263565726429186


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## BlakeJesus

It makes sense, the kid can shoot. I don't hate it honestly, it should be a nice fit. He could look a lot better in this type of system with this type of talent around him compared to those sorry Knicks.


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## BlakeJesus

2nd rounders


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## ATLien

I like what I am reading about Erikkson. He won't play in the NBA anytime soon, but it's doubtful anybody we drafted in the second round would be able to make the team this year anyways. I'm OK with using our second rounders on international players here on out for that reason.



> In the 2013-14 season, Marcus Erikkson scored 11.2 points per game for Manresa in the Spanish ACB League (the best league outside of the NBA) while shooting 38% from three and 94% from the free throw line. Eriksson was 20 years of age during that season. In 2014-15 season, Eriksson tore his ACL 5 minutes into his season. Eriksson is limited athletically but has good size at 6'7. The key for his transition to the NBA will be adding muscle and getting quicker which is not an easy adaptation. However, his profile is athletic profile is similar to Kyle Korver at Creighton. He could join Atlanta as soon as the 2016-17 season but he is more than likely 2-3 years away. There are no assurances that he will ever play a game in the NBA but he certainly could be an elite shooter that could fit well in Atlanta's system with some physical development.


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## ATLien

BlakeJesus said:


> It makes sense, the kid can shoot. I don't hate it honestly, it should be a nice fit. He could look a lot better in this type of system with this type of talent around him compared to those sorry Knicks.


Hardaway is a career 35% three point shooter in the NBA. I'm still trying to talk myself into liking the trade, but I don't know. The one good thing about this is we needed someone to play minutes if it looks like Thabo (definitely) and Korvers (maybe) aren't ready for the start of the season.


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