2019 NBA Mock Draft: The lottery order is officially official
What a perfect option for Atlanta. Looking up and down the Hawks’ roster, what’s clearly missing is defense.
After the All-Star break, the Hawks had the 11th-best offense in the NBA but gave back almost as much as they put in the basket, posting the 24th defense. Hardly anyone could contain Atlanta’s attack with Trae Young leading the way, but his lack of containment at the point of attack coupled with the lack of a traditional rim protector made it tough for the Hawks to guard good offenses.
One big factor in their ability to flip the script on defense in the future is how John Collins fits in at center. His block rate fell precipitously in his second season and his Defensive Box Plus-Minus went into the negative. Atlanta’s defense was 1.1 points worse per 100 possessions when Collins was on the floor. At 6-10 with a thinner frame, Collins simply wasn’t able to pick up the pieces from weak defense on the perimeter.
Drafting Hunter would help shore up the interior defense and could give Atlanta the missing piece to construct a versatile defensive scheme that maximizes Collins’ value. It will be tough for the Hawks to ever switch all screens because Young is so small, but if they were to play Hunter with Collins, Kevin Huerter and someone like Kent Bazemore, they could build a defense that switches all screens that do not involve Young and allow the combined size and quickness of Hunter and Collins.