2018 NBA Mock Draft: The lottery is done and the order is set
F/C. Duke. Marvin Bagley III. 3. player. 125.
Atlanta has reportedly keyed in on Bagley and Luka Doncic at No. 3, under the belief that Deandre Ayton won’t fall further than Sacramento at No. 2. Absent any efficient shot creation on the current roster, the Hawks would love to solidify a lead scorer so early in their rebuild.
The Hawks also have the roster to place Bagley at center, making his defense more valuable as he continues to develop, moving his feet on switches and hopefully eventually becoming a better shot-blocker. After waiving Tyler Canavaugh this month, the Hawks opened yet another spot on their roster to make way for their three first-rounders this year. Most of the time, teams would not roster all three of those rookies, but with so little talent in place, Atlanta could be the rare team to add them all, with Bagley as the headliner.
Atlanta was actually solid in certain statistical categories despite finishing with the fourth-worst record in the NBA, including free-throw percentage, 3-point percentage and assists. They were miserable around the rim, leading to the fifth-worst field goal percentage in the league and a bottom-10 finish in total offensive rebounds.
Bagley is the perfect balance to the talent and style already in place for Atlanta.