An early look at draft prospects

This season is over  one fourth of the way through, and even though it’s early, the Hawks seem to be a lock for a draft pick in the 20s.  I’ve watched multiple college games as well as almost all of the Hawks game and have developed a list of three guys that I would love to see playing in Phillips Arena next season.  Out of these three guys, one of them should fall to the Hawks pick.

My number one realistic draft target for the Hawks is UNC forward Ed Davis.  Davis is a great athlete and also has some newly developed post moves that would drastically help the Hawks in their halfcourt offense.   Davis could come in and make an immediate impact for the Hawks backing up Josh Smith, and could also see some minutes playing alongside Smith.

If Davis is gone when the Hawks pick comes along, then I think they should look at Kentucky forward Patrick Patterson.  Patterson is an absolute beast on the offensive  end.  He has shown that he has no problems banging in the paint, but he also has a midrange jumper that makes him a nightmare for opposing defenses.  I think he’d be a great upgrade over Joe Smith on the Hawks bench.

If both of these guys are gone, then the Hawks shouldn’t panic.  Hometown fan favorite Gani Lawal should be available.  Lawal has improved his game each year in college, and brings huge amounts of energy to the court.  He still relies on his athleticism a little bit too much, but he has a huge amount of potential.

When the Hawks pick comes up in 6 months, one or more of these guys should be on the board, and the Hawks should be extremely excited to add any of these three guys to their roster.