Five Dream, Five Realistic Targets For The Hawks With the No. 23 Pick in the NBA Draft

Who are some dream targets for the Hawks at No. 23? Who are the more realistic targets for

Jan 7, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Jayden Quaintance (21) congratulates guard Jaland Lowe (15) during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks are one of two teams with a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but they also have multiple picks in the first round. Atlanta is going to be picking at No. 8 and No. 23, and they have a unique opportunity to add to their playoff roster with quality draft selections.

The No. 8 pick is understandably going to get more attention due to being in the top ten of a talented draft, but the No. 23 pick is going to be important as well. With the number of players who are going back to school due to NIL, the talent in the draft thins out around this point of the draft, especially in the second round. Onsi Saleh and the Hawks front office will have to do a good job of scouting and evaluating the talent at this point in the draft to make sure they land an impact player.

With that in mind, who are the dream targets for the Hawks at No. 23? What about the more realistic players to target?

Dream Targets

1. Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky Center
2. Christian Anderson, Texas Tech Guard
3. Bennett Stirtz, Iowa Guard
4. Morez Johnson Jr, Michigan Forward
5. Hannes Steinbach, Washington Center

These are players that I think would be great picks for the Hawks, but I don't think that any of them are going to be there. If any of them do fall, I think Atlanta should be sprinting to the podium to get the pick in.

Quaintance would be a top 10 pick if not for the injury concerns and that is the only reason that he would at No. 23 (which might be a concern itself). He has elite rim protecting skills and is a strong rebounder. He is not much of a shooter on offense, but could be a reliable lob threat who can pressure the rim. The Hawks are looking for a center and Quaintance fits the bill if there.

Christian Anderson is one of the best scorers in this draft and shot 42% from three last season for the Red Raiders. He turned into the hub of the team after J.T. Toppin's injury and really played well. The Hawks need to get younger at guard and Anderson would be a dream pick.

Stirtz has all the makings of having a long and productive career in the NBA, He is truly an elite floor general who can make all the right leads and while he might not be a starter for a high level team one day, I think he is a good bench contributor at worst. He is an older player (23 years), but would be able to contribute immediately.

Johnson would bring instant toughness and defense to the Hawks' roster, though he is a bit undersized for what they are looking for at center, and they already have Asa Newell as a backup four. Still, I think the attitude and grit that Johnson would bring would be awesome for the Hawks team.

Steinbach is not mentioned much when it comes to the Hawks (mostly because he is not projected to be at No. 23). However, he is arguably the top rebounder in the draft and would be a very good selection for the Hawks if he were to slip down to this range.

Realistic Targets

1. Ebuka Okorie, Stanford Guard
2. Isaiah Evans, Duke Forward/Guard
3. Henri Veesaar, North Carolina Center
4. Chris Cenac Jr, Houston Center
5. Tarris Reed Jr, UConn Center

One or multiple of these players should be on the board for the Hawks at No. 23.

Okorie has concerns with his size and defense, but for a potential pick at No. 23, he is a high level scorer and would give the Hawks plenty of juice on that end of the floor. With the Trae Young trade, the Hawks appear to be moving away from smaller, non-defensive guards, but Okorie's talent at 23 would be hard to pass up.

Evans has all the makings of an elite 3-and-D player at the NBA level. He is an exceptional shooter with athleticism and length to be able to guard multiple positions.

Veesaar would be an intriguing stretch five option for the Hawks, and that is something that they value. Onyeka Okongwu has made great strides as a shooter, and when the Hawks traded for Jock Landale at the deadline, he brought that ability to the floor. With Dyson Daniels on the court for the majority of minutes, having as many players as possible who can shoot is ideal.

Cenac Jr is more of a project than anyone on the realistic targets list, but the talent is obvious. He is the one player on this list that I think would spend the entire season in the G-League.

Reed Jr is a player that does not get mentioned for the Hawks, or much in the first round at all, but the way he played in the NCAA Tournament opened some eyes, and it would not surprise me if he gets taken sooner than expected, especially with the center depth not being especially strong.