2018 NBA Mock Draft: Who’s moving at the top?

Toss out fit, placement within a system, or overlap with teammates. The Hawks are in a full-scale rebuild, starting from scratch with a new general manager, head coach and a wide-open roster. Adding Bagley as the centerpiece is not a bad bet.

One way to maximize Bagley’s value is to build a roster that suits him. Asking him to be a stretch five early in his career would be devastating considering how far away he is as a defender, as well as the improvements he will have to make as a shooter. Instead, finding Bagley a playmaker to feed him the ball and direct attention elsewhere would be valuable, plus a defensive big man who could cover for Bagley as he grows into a better defender. The Hawks have Dennis Schroeder in place as their point guard right now, plus the cap space to potentially be in the running for Clint Capela or Julius Randle if they try to expedite the reset.

If they don’t attack the problem in free agency, perhaps they let Bagley roam free as the nominal center to open up his offensive game and swallow the defense in another tanking season. It’s not as if Atlanta’s other talent is going to contribute to a playoff push even if they meticulously build it out for 2018-19. They can move slowly with Bagley and see what he becomes a couple years down the line.

The Hawks certainly have the wing depth to play small, and two additional picks in the first round to reinforce the roster in order to be more versatile.