Every Atlanta Hawks First Round Pick From the Last Five Years and Where They Are Now

How have the Hawks last five years of drafting worked out?

Apr 23, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) shoots past New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) in the third quarter during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

No team is going to nail every draft (unless you are Oklahoma City or San Antonio), but in this apron era of the NBA, you need to hit more than you miss because of the years of cost controlled talent you are getting.

When it comes to the Atlanta Hawks' draft history this decade, they have had some really nice hits, but some really bad misses. Let's break down the last five drafts for Atlanta.

2021: Drafted Jalen Johnson with the No. 20 overall pick (still with team)

Apr 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) shoots against the New York Knicks in the third quarter during game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This was a home run of a draft pick for the Hawks and if they had not made it, it is fair to wonder where this franchise would be and the direction they would be going in. That is not to say that Johnson is a perfect player, but he just made his first All-NBA team and is one of the ascending talents in the NBA.

How good can he be? That is still a question and he might not be a No. 1 player on a championship team, but he is a winning player that has gotten better each year.

Johnson appeared in a career-best 72 games (all starts) during the 2025-26 season, averaging career highs in points (22.5), rebounds (10.3) and assists (7.9), in addition to 1.2 steals in 35.2 minutes of play, becoming just the fifth player in NBA history to average at least 22.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in a single season, joining Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook. He ranked top 20 in points per game, assists per game and rebounds per game, becoming the first Hawk in franchise history to rank top 20 in all three categories.

2022: Drafted AJ Griffin with the No. 16 pick (no longer in the league)

Atlanta went back to the well in the 2022 draft by taking another talented Duke player, but this time the results were different.

Griffin showed promise as a floor spacer and three-point shooter during his rookie season (39%), but he fell out of the rotation during his second year after Quin Snyder took over as the head coach and he was traded on the second day of the 2024 NBA Draft to the Houston Rockets, but he then retired from the NBA instead of playing in Houston.

This was the first real miss of the decade for Atlanta and instead of Griffin, they could have selected Tari Eason, Jake LaRavia, Walker Kessler, Christian Braun, or Peyton Watson instead.

2023: Drafted Kobe Bufkin with the No. 15 overall pick (now plays for the New Orleans Pelicans)

The Hawks drafted Bufkin with the No. 15 pick in the 2023 draft and though it was not his fault, he could not get on the court because of numerous injuries. He ended up playing in a combined 27 games over his two seasons in Atlanta and then was traded last summer to the Brooklyn Nets for cash considerations.

Bufkin had a solid stint with the Lakers this past season and turned that into a one-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans this offseason.

2024: Drafted Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick (Now plays for the Dallas Mavericks)

This was the most high-profile miss for the Hawks in the last five miss and maybe their biggest draft miss ever.

The 2024 NBA Draft was viewed as a weak draft at the top and it was a tough choice for who to select at No. 1. This was not a draft where a Victor Wembanyama or Cooper Flagg was waiting on you and Atlanta had a tough choice to make.

Risacher had a nice rookie season, finishing 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting, and he headed into his second season hoping to build off of it. He did not however and was replaced in the starting lineup towards the end of the season before falling almost completely out of the rotation.

Risacher was traded this offseason in a three-team deal involving Dallas and Oklahoma City and he ended up with the Mavericks. He will look to restart his career there alongside Flagg.

2025: Drafted Asa Newell with the No. 23 overall pick (still with team)

This pick is remembered more for how it was acquired than who was taken so far, but Newell showed enough upside during his rookie season and could be in for a bigger role with the team in the 2026-2027 season. He spent most of this past season in the G-League, but has an opportunity to be in the rotation this season.