The Atlanta Hawks will enter the 2025 NBA Draft with two first round picks (No. 13 and No. 22) to go along with an intriguing young core. That combination sets the franchise up for future-facing optimism, even amid an ongoing search for a new president of basketball operations. In advance of the 2025 draft, many are wondering what the Hawks might look to add to a roster that has few screamingly defined holes, and to do that, some are looking back at the recent past.
To that end, here is a look at the last five years of first round picks for Atlanta with an aim to either sign off or pursue a mulligan on each of the five choices.
2020: Onyeka Okongwu at No. 6 overall
Overall, this looks like a reasonable pick, though it does come with some caveats. There are five players in the 2020 class that would clearly go ahead of Okongwu in a re-draft: Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey, LaMelo Ball, and Desmond Bane.
Two of those players (Edwards, Ball) were gone when the Hawks picked, one of those players (Bane) was not a realistic choice at the time, and two of the players (Haliburton, Maxey) were curious fits next to Trae Young. The most glaring oversight is probably Haliburton, though it is widely known that Haliburton and his camp actually asked the Hawks not to take him. Also, it is worth noting that Okongwu is clearly better than three of the five players selected ahead of him: James Wiseman, Patrick Williams, and Isaac Okoro.
From there, Okongwu is in competition with Jaden McDaniels, Deni Avdija, Immanuel Quickley, Payton Pritchard, Isaiah Stewart, and Devin Vassell. One could argue on behalf of McDaniels or Avdija pretty easily, especially given the emphasis around the league to forwards with size and defensive capability. Still, it is hard to be too picky about Okongwu at No. 6 overall, particularly after his mini-breakout at the end of the 2024-25 season.
2021: Jalen Johnson at No. 20 overall
This one is easy, and there isn't much nuance involved. Johnson is clearly better right now than anyone drafted behind him in the 2021 class. Though it took him a bit to get his career off the ground, Johnson has averaged 17.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.2 stocks per game over the last two seasons, and he is a top-50 player in the NBA as he approaches his fifth season.
Honestly, it is hard to even suggest an alternative pick. That is how much of a home run the Jalen Johnson selection was for the Hawks in a non-lottery draft slot.
2022: AJ Griffin at No. 16 overall
Well, this one is pretty complicated. Griffin enjoyed a very strong rookie season in Atlanta, virtually disappeared in his second season, got traded to Houston, and never played again. In fact, Griffin retired from the NBA at the age of 21, explaining that he wanted to pursue a life of ministry rather than in professional basketball.
It is hard to blame the Hawks too much for what happened with Griffin, especially after how solid the pick looked in his rookie season. Griffin shot 39 percent from 3-point range in 72 appearances (12 starts) and was a rotation player on a competent team, all at the age of 19. However, it is now clear that he wasn't all the way in on basketball during his second season, including a lengthy personal absence from the team.
No matter the reasoning, it is clear that the Hawks would not make the Griffin pick again, and that should be obvious. Candidates still on the board when Griffin was selected include Tari Eason, Christian Braun, Walker Kessler, and Andrew Nembhard. Any of those players would look good in Atlanta right now.
2023: Kobe Bufkin at No. 15 overall
First and foremost, the jury is still out on Bufkin. The 21-year-old guard has shown some flashes, particularly in averaging 23.6 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game in the G League. However, Bufkin just hasn't been able to stay on the court, appearing in only 27 NBA games across two seasons and undergoing shoulder surgery in December.
At the very least, Bufkin has to prove he can stay healthy in order to pave a path to Atlanta's rotation. He has the talent to do it, but it is fair to say that the Hawks would potentially pursue another option if they had a total mulligan to use nearly two years later.
It should be noted, though, that rest of the 2023 draft after No. 15 overall is not overflowing with magnificent options right now. Brandon Podziemski is the most accomplished player selected after Bufkin, and he would be a player that anyone would nab if given the option. No. 52 pick Toumani Camara is also an interesting and valuable defensive player, but he was not a realistic option at No. 15 at the time of the draft, and the rest of the draft board is a (very) mixed bag overall after Bufkin.
2024: Zaccharie Risacher at No. 1 overall
As it is with Bufkin, this one is still very much up in the air, but for different reasons. For one thing, a single season is not (nearly) enough to judge in full whether the Hawks made the right pick with Risacher at the top of a draft that was uninspiring to many.
With that said, Risacher certainly has a case for the top player in the 2024 class right now, and it would be hard to take a mulligan in any direction. After all, he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, and Risacher was the best rookie in the NBA over the second half of the season.
After returning from a brief injury hiatus on January 30, Risacher averaged 14.9 points on 51.8 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from 3-point range over his final 35 games. He was also a starter on a team that competed in the postseason while flashing intriguing defensive and underlying tools.
Many would point to San Antonio's Stephon Castle as a potential alternative after his ROY win, but at the very least, it would be fair to say Castle did not lap the field for that award. He also would've played a (much) smaller role in Atlanta than he played in San Antonio as a rookie, and again, one season isn't enough. Some would still consider Alex Sarr (who famously did not want to come to Atlanta) or even Zach Edey, but Risacher looks to be a very reasonable choice after one year.