Atlanta Hawks NBA Draft preview | Who is most likely to go No. 1 to Hawks

If we were writing this article several weeks ago, then the first guy we would be talking about here would be Alex Sarr. But with Sarr seemingly dodging the Hawks and aiming at being drafted second overall by the Wizards, for reasons still not fully known, the NBA Draft experts seem to think that Atlanta is honing their sights in on Risacher, who is from Spain and currently plays professionally in France.

Pros: Risacher is one of the tallest and longest wings in the entire draft. He is 6-foot-8, weighs 195 pounds, and has a wingspan of 6 feet and 9.5 inches. At just 19 years old, Risacher is still extremely raw and has a lot of time to grow into his body and continue improving his skills that scouts love. 

He showed glimpses of becoming a knockdown shooter from beyond the arc through the first 34 games this season, shooting 48.2% from deep, according to The Ringer. Throughout his three-year pro career in France so far, Risacher has averaged 11.1 points per game, 4 rebounds, 0.9 assists and has shot 38.7% from 3-point land.

He's also gotten high praise as a defender, which is in part due to his height and long wingspan guarding other players who are smaller than him on the wing and his ability to move just as quickly laterally against some of those quicker wings. "He's also an aware help defender with a knack for altering shots," The Ringer describes about Risacher's defense.

Cons: Although Risacher has proven he can get hot and score as a streaky shooter, his overall numbers lack that of a No. 1 overall pick. Despite a nearly 50% 3-point shooting percentage to begin the year, his numbers fell off the table to just 29.8% from deep for the remainder of the season this past year. That was close to the 32% from 3-point land he shot at in his three international seasons in France's professional league. Risacher also struggles from the free throw line, shooting just a mediocre 70%.

Verdict: This will likely be the route the Hawks go, but I don't think this is their best option. Risacher doesn't stand out to me as a future star and does not project as a top overall pick in the NBA Draft. Atlanta is better taking a more proven player, or trading back altogether.

Now, let's jump into Sarr. Most basketball experts had Sarr pegged as the No. 1 pick before his workouts with several NBA teams. But once it seemed like Sarr was dodging a workout with Atlanta, something that Hawks General Manager Landry Fields confirmed on Sports Radio 92.9 The Game, it became apparent that Sarr doesn't want Atlanta, and very potentially vice versa.

It definitely is interesting if Sarr would rather play for the Washington Wizards, who have had exponentially more struggles than the Hawks over the past decade and also don't possess one of the best playmaking guards in the league like the Hawks do with Trae Young (and even Dejounte Murray for that matter).

There has been speculation that Sarr's agent doesn't want him in Atlanta -- which was fueled in part due to the fact that his agent represents superstar Mavericks guard Luka Dončić, who was drafted by the Hawks and traded to the Mavericks for Trae Young.

Anyways, let's dive into Sarr.

Pros: Let's start with the obvious. He is a 7-foot-1, 224-pound athletic freak who can defend guys on the wing and can also be a rim protector inside the paint. Offensively, he can post up, shoot the three, and drive into the lane and use his length to beat defenders. He thrives when getting the ball outside the perimeter and attacking off the dribble.

Sarr's wingspan is monstrous, at 7 feet 4 inches. His numbers were a bit underwhelming for a player of his size and skillset (9.6 PPG, 4.5 REB, 1.5 BLK, 1 APG in Australia's pro league), but let's not forget that he is also just 19 years old. The Ringer described Sarr best: "Skyscraping wing trapped in a center's body..." Sarr was compared by The Ringer to Memphis' Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brooklyn's (and former UGA's) Nic Claxton.

Sarr is very familiar with Atlanta, as he played two seasons with prep league Overtime Elite, most recently in the 2022-23 season.

Cons: There aren't a lot of things to pick apart from Sarr's game, but the one negative is something that is really holding him right now from going from a great player to an elite NBA star. He takes a lot of jump shots, but he doesn't make a ton of those attempts. He shot just 29.8% from 3-point land on just over three attempts per game and shot 71% from the free-throw line. Those numbers are similar to his stats at Overtime Elite, where he averaged 11.1 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Verdict: If I'm the Hawks, I don't care about what Sarr has insinuated in his pre-draft process. He has already said he will play for whichever team drafts him. He is by far and away the most intriguing prospect in this draft class. Now, his antics and drama might be offputting to some, but at the end of the day, a No. 1 pick rarely comes around (never before for Atlanta in the lottery era, as aforementioned), and you have to take the best player available. Sarr is my pick.

Let's throw a long shot out here, why not? Despite not the likely choice at No. 1 for Atlanta, if they do decide to pass on Sarr, there is a laundry list of reasons why Sheppard is a better pick than Risacher.

Pros: No, he doesn't offer you the extraordinary length that Risacher does on the wing, but Sheppard is as sure a shooter as you will find in an NBA Draft and an excellent defender. He stands just 6'2" and weighs 182 pounds, but Sheppard is a nuisance and disruptor on the defensive end.

Heading to the draft after his freshman year at Kentucky under now-departed head coach John Calipari, Sheppard was ninth in college basketball at 2.5 steals per game.

Here's how The Ringer described his defensive presence: "He’s a nuisance on the ball who can bother any ball handler and a playmaker off of it, intercepting cross-court feeds, swiping at passing lanes, and blowing up actions by being a step ahead of screeners. Mentally strong. Mistakes never get him down and he has a next-play mentality."

How about on the offensive end? He only shot 52.1% from deep at Kentucky (for those wondering, that would be tops in all of college basketball last year).

Cons: His size. At 6-foot-2, Sheppard will often get towered over on the wing and when he has the ball. He can sometimes struggled to create his own shot, but is lethal in the catch-and-shoot game.

Verdict: If it's not Sarr, it needs to be Sheppard for the Hawks.

Donovan Clingan is another interesting prospect the Hawks might take a real look at with the No. 1 selection. He may be one of the most NBA-ready prospects in this entire draft whose game will translate relatively easily.

Clingan is someone who could go as high as the top pick or someone who could fall to the bottom of the top 10. It remains to be seen. There's a lot to like about Clingan's game but also some major downfalls at the moment. He was a big reason why UConn won back-to-back championships during his first and last two seasons there.

Pros: Clingan is absolutely massive. He's 7-foot-2, 285 pounds and has an enormous 7-foot-7 wingspan. That's why his game translates so well to the NBA right now. He's a force defensively inside the paint and blocks a ton of shots (2.5 per game in 2023-24). People driving inside the paint tend to back off when Clingan is underneath the basket, not just because he is massive but because he knows how to play his position.

He's pretty athletic, too. He's not one of your 7-footers who crowds space but struggles to play both sides of the ball and get up and down the floor. He plays with a high motor, too, and was a leader on UConn's team as just a freshman and this past year as a sophomore. He shot 64.5% on 2-point range during his UConn career.

Cons: Clingan cannot shoot the basketball unless he's pretty much inside the paint. He is not a threat to shoot the three-ball, something he will have to try to add to his repertoire to be a complete player in today's NBA, and he's just a 51% free-throw shooter.

Defensively, Clingan is a menace down low, but he struggles to defend players around the perimeter, where he can be a little flat-footed. There's not a ton of downsides to speak of, but that his holding him back from becoming a premiere NBA talent. But, still, at just 20, there's still plenty of time for him to develop that side of his game.

Verdict: I'd rank Clingan third on my list of players I want the Hawks to draft. Clint Capela's future in Atlanta is almost over, and Atlanta needs another big man to replace him once he's gone. He could be paired with rising star Jalen Johnson to create a dynamic frontcourt for the Hawks in the future.

NBA Draft Rankings:

1. Alex Sarr
2. Reed Sheppard
3. Donovan Clingan
4. Zaccharie Risacher