NBA Mock Draft 2019: The Pelicans are in the driver’s seat
F/C. Gonzaga. Brandon Clarke. 10. player. 125.
It appears extremely unlikely right now that Atlanta makes all three of its first-round picks, let alone its three second-round picks (all in the top 15 of the round). Some combination of No. 8, No. 10 and No. 17 will likely be packaged to trade up higher in the top 10, likely to nab one of De’Andre Hunter or Jarrett Culver.
More from Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated:
"“Atlanta continues to remain active in exploring all its options with six draft picks in hand, and packaging Nos. 8 and 10 to move up to No. 4 or No. 5 remains a possibility. Jarrett Culver and De’Andre Hunter are the names that come up most often in those scenarios, and right now it seems unlikely either player falls to No. 8. The Hawks won’t roster all these rookies, and based on their recent history, seem to be comfortable deferring draft assets into future options, as well.”"
With Trae Young and Kevin Huerter already on board, Atlanta is in the rare position of not having to worry much about playmaking in the backcourt. Instead, they are on the prowl for role players who can space the floor and contribute defensively. They could also use a rim protector at center to insulate John Collins, who is likely undersized and not quite athletic enough as a defender to play the 5.
All of those concerns bring us to Clarke, who would help Collins as a rim protector while maintaining the potential for a more versatile switch defense in some lineups. Young will never hold up defending that way, but teams like Boston have switched 2-5 to help cover up Kyrie Irving’s deficiencies and allow him to focus on man defense. With a frontcourt of Collins and Clarke, the Hawks would be on their way there.