How the Atlanta Hawks can Address their Needs in the 2025 NBA Draft

The Atlanta Hawks lost in embarrassing fashion to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night in the NBA's Play-In Tournament.

Dropping a game to Orlando doesn't remove the Hawks from the postseason, but Atlanta is now on the brink of elimination again after falling to the Magic 120-95 in a contest that saw Trae Young get ejected and still finish with a game-high 28 points.

Now, the Hawks will have to beat either the Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat to earn the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Even if Atlanta is able to get into the playoffs, it is unlikely the Hawks would be able to steal more than one game away from No. 1-seed Cleveland, which has been a juggernaut all season.

Atlanta has been disappointing since reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, failing to place higher than the No. 8 seed in the past four seasons. Even with a superstar like Young and a few other talented young pieces around the Oklahoma product, the Hawks haven't been able to find any success on the court.

This season the team dealt with a few injuries, including 21-year-old up-and-comer Jalen Johnson, who appeared in just 36 games after suffering a torn labrum. Still, Atlanta has a few glaring needs to address in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Against Orlando, the Hawks went with Mouhamed Gueye and Dominick Barlow as their post players alongside Onyeka Okongwu. While Barlow and Gueye are intriguing long-term players, Atlanta needs a better option at the center position to help Okongwu and Johnson against bigger players.

Clint Capela is also still on the Hawks' roster, but at 30-years-old and more than $22 million per year, the veteran big man doesn't seem to fit with the team's future.

Fortunately for Atlanta, there are a few solid big men in the upcoming NBA Draft.

In a recent mock draft from Draft Digest, the Hawks selected Georgia big man Asa Newell at No. 14, and Georgetown standout Thomas Sorber at No. 22.

Listed at 6-foot-11, Newell averaged 15.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, a steal and a block per game in his lone season with the Bulldogs. Newell was a 5-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class.

Sorber is listed at 6-foo-10 and averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, two blocks and 1.5 steals per game as a freshman for the Hoyas.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.