NBA Mock Draft 2019: The Pelicans are in the driver’s seat
Duke. Cam Reddish. 8. player. 125. . F
If you’re tired of hearing about the Hawks’ various options on draft night, you’re not alone. No one in the world seems to quite know Atlanta’s plans right now. And hey, maybe they don’t, either.
Last summer, as general manager Travis Schlenk has said on the Woj Pod, the Hawks went into the night believing they would select Luka Doncic at No. 3 overall. Shortly before they were on the clock, the Mavericks reached out with the parameters of the infamous trade that sent Doncic to Dallas and gave Atlanta this pick right here. So things in a hurry.
Put it this way: Confusion is capital on draft night. As long as you know your plan, it’s better if no one else does.
More from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic:
"“Depending on who you talk to around the league, people are certain the Hawks are going to use some combination of No. 8, 10 and 17 to move up for Jarrett Culver. No wait, it’s for De’Andre Hunter. Er, rather, they’d prefer to stand pat at No. 8 and just take Cam Reddish if he’s there, as there’s been interest there the whole season. Or maybe they’ve promised Hunter at 8, something else that has also been speculated upon. Then, other people think they’d prefer to use only two picks, and move out of the draft beyond that and accumulate future assets from teams.”"
Indeed, Atlanta is a perfect environment to round out Reddish’s skills off the bench on a young team in a smaller market. If all he ever becomes is a low-end 3-and-D role player, the Hawks would actually be pretty happy with that.