2019 NBA Mock Draft: The lottery order is officially official
Atlanta has already proven itself as a bona fide playoff competitor next season with how the team performed late in the year. Adding another summer of development for Trae Young, especially on defense, in addition to their two first-round picks in this draft, it almost feels like the Hawks are all set and don’t need anything.
Maybe they are. If Young continues to improve, they could compete for a 6-8 seed in the East next year and be on their way to a long-term window for the remainder of his prime. Yet Philadelphia has shown us the privilege of being able to keep adding even when you might already have enough talent to win a championship. Armed with this pick from Dallas as well as their own first-rounder, the Hawks can get even better.
At nine, our thinking is the Hawks claim a developmental project in Doumbouya whom we had in the top five of our too-early 2019 mock draft last June. His ceiling is as high as anyone in the top three this year but teams will be wary that he has just one season of high-level international competition. Adding to the uncertainty is the thumb injury that forced Doumbouya to miss two months earlier this year as well as the fact that he’s very raw, having just turned 18 in December.
All that works in Atlanta’s favor. In the early stages of their rebuild, the Hawks have prioritized veteran presence with their extra roster spots, meaning they can more easily move away from those players to develop someone like Doumbouya. Young rosters in Phoenix and Sacramento forced the team into early decisions on talented players.
Atlanta uniquely can slot Doumbouya in at the bottom of their rotation and reap the benefits years from now.