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As the Atlanta Hawks prepare for the upcoming NBA Draft, the team will once again be among those selecting near the top on Oct. 15 after posting the fourth-worst record prior to the suspension of the regular season.
The Hawks will hold a 12.5% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick as it stands now. Of course, they will have a better understanding of which player they could potentially select after the Draft Lottery on Aug. 25 but general manager Travis Schlenk this week offered a glimpse into how they will be selecting come draft time.
During a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Schlenk said the Hawks would not draft based on positional need. Instead, Schlenk said they will look at taking the best player available when they are on the clock, according to Brad Rowland of Peachtree Hoops.
Certainly, when we’re picking in the top eight, we’re not going to draft a guy based on positional need. We’re going to try to take the guy we think is the best player for us and that is going to fit in with our team. I do think when you get back into the second round, or late in the draft like we’ll have a pick in the 50s, then there might be a situation where if you have two guys of similar ability, you might take the guy who fills a need then. Because now you’re thinking about roster depth and things of that nature. But, at the top of the draft, we’ll certainly focus on who we think has got the chance to be the most impactful player.
The best-player-available philosophy is often how teams approach the draft. By doing so, teams can keep the pick or, in another scenario, trade the pick to another team. Over the years, drafting based on positional need has sometimes burned teams.
Should the Hawks indeed take the best player available, the potential is there to add a player into a position that is currently not needed, such as point guard or center. The idea of selecting LaMelo Ball or a big man, for instance, would certainly fall into that category.
In addition to the Hawks, the Cleveland Cavaliers also appear to be taking a best-player-available approach as they are high on Ball, despite a crowded backcourt with Collin Sexton, Darius Garland and others.
The potential of pairing Ball next to Trae Young would certainly be intriguing on the offensive end, with glaring needs defensively. In any case, the Hawks will be open to each scenario should that happen.
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