5 Prospects The Atlanta Hawks Should Target With No. 8 Pick (And One They Shouldn't)

The NBA Draft Lottery results came in on Sunday afternoon, and it did not go the way the Atlanta Hawks wanted. Atlanta hoped that having the most favorable of the New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks picks would result in a move up into the top four, but it resulted in them dropping one spot to the No. 8 overall pick.

While it was an unfortunate result, the Hawks are still a team coming off a playoff appearance, a young, talented core, and plenty of financial flexibility to work with this offseason.

Speaking of the No. 8 pick, who are five players the Hawks should target and one they should not?

Louisville Guard Mikel Brown Jr

When you look at mock drafts, Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr is the most popular pick for the Hawks from draft analysts and it makes complete sense.

Atlanta needs to figure out some long-term solutions in its backcourt, and that was evident in its first-round loss to the New York Knicks. Their half-court offense really struggled, and shotmaking was an issue aside from a couple of strong CJ McCollum games.

Brown Jr is an elite shotmaker and an underrated creator on offense. His biggest questions come from defensive issues and injuries, which is why the NBA combine is so important for him. He seems likely to be available and would be a great pick for the Hawks.

Michigan Center Aday Mara

No player has seen his stock rise quite like Mara's over the past couple of months. Mara is a 7'3 center with a massive wingspan, and after a strong NCAA Tournament and combine performance, Mara is trending up and there is even a possibility that he could come off the board before the Hawks are on the clock at No. 8.

While Onyeka Okongwu is a very good center (and underrated at this point), specific matchups give him trouble (look at the Knicks series), and the Hawks have been lacking interior defense and size. Mara is the kind of big man that head coach Quin Snyder loves with his ability to protect the rim and pass.

Mara would be a great complement to Okongwu and would make plenty of sense for the Hawks.

Houston PG Kingston Flemings

Flemings is among the group of guards that are expected to go in the top 10, and if he falls to No. 8, the Hawks could fill their point guard void by taking one of the best in the draft.

Flemings is the best defender among the guard prospects of Keaton Wagler, Darius Acuff, and Mikel Brown Jr., and his offensive game came along nicely during his one and only season at Houston.

With Trae Young gone and CJ McCollum a free agent (not to mention in his mid 30s), the Hawks have a hole at point guard. Dyson Daniels does a nice job of running the offense, but is not a true point guard; neither is McCollum nor Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Flemings could be a staple of the Hawks' core for years to come and would go well with the two-way identity they are trying to build.

Arizona guard Brayden Burries

A lot of talk about which guard the Hawks could take at No. 8 revolves around the Wagler, Acuff, Brown Jr, and Flemings group, but what about Brayden Burries?

Burries was a 39% shooter from three last season at Arizona on nearly five attempts per game, and he did this while sharing the backcourt responsibilities with Jaden Bradley, as well as Koa Peat.

He is not a true point guard, but is a good scorer and would give the Hawks more juice on that end of the court.

Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg

Lendeborg is not mentioned as much when talking about potential options for the Hawks and admittedly, he does not fill their biggest need as far as interior defense and scoring, but he is a big wing player who does a little bit of everything well.

Lendeborg would give the Hawks a wing player who does everything well, with the most common knock on him leading up to the draft being that he is 23 years old. He defends at a high level, is a good three-point shooter (though probably not as good as he shot in the NCAA Tournament), and can pass. He is the most likely prospect that could help the Hawks immediately due to his experience.

Honorable mentions: Illinois guard Keaton Wagler (likely not to be there)

One prospect the Hawks should not draft: Darius Acuff

This came down to two prospects, but I think it would go against everything the Hawks have done in recent months if they were to draft Acuff.

Acuff is an elite offensive talent and should be able to score at a high level, but his size and defense are major issues for a top ten pick. Atlanta just traded Trae Young due to his size and the kind of contract that he wants. When building teams in this apron era in the NBA, you have to be careful where you allocate your resources.

Even if Acuff is awesome and turns out to be similar to Damian Lillard or Young (players he is often compared to), it is hard to build around those players, even if they are really good. There is a reason that the Hawks wanted to move Young, and in a similar case, why the Cavaliers wanted to trade Darius Garland this season.

Acuff very well might be an All-Star, but he is a hard player to build around and the Hawks are constructing their team in a different way and it is a way that does not involve small guards who can't defend. It is not a stretch to say that Acuff is the worst defender in the draft.

Honorable mention: Tennessee forward Nate Ament

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