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In a lot of years, it’s fairly obvious by now which player is going first overall.
This is not one of those years.
As ESPN’s Jonathan Givony relayed, folks “don’t have a firm grasp” on what the Atlanta Hawks will do with the No. 1 pick. Most—though certainly not all—mocks have them snatching up Alex Sarr, but Givony noted they’re also expected “to consider other options…including [Zaccharie] Risacher, Donovan Clingan and trade opportunities.”
B/R’s Jonathan Wasserman also had Alex Sarr’s fellow Frenchman Zaccharie Risacher at No. 1 to the Hawks in his May 21 Mock Draft.
Atlanta’s plan to, as general manager Landry Fields put it, “cast a wide net” seems smart at this part of the process in this draft. But all of the Hawks’ homework will likely lead them to the same conclusion as all of those mock-drafters:
He may have, as Wasserman opined in his Sarr Scouting Profile, “the draft’s highest two-way ceiling,” which sort of feels like a case-closed conclusion on this debate. If analysts think he’ll impact both ends of the floor more than anyone, why bother going a different direction?
Center might not be a glaring position of need for Atlanta on paper, but Clint Capela has been on the trade block for months (or longer), and Onyeka Okongwu is far from a sure thing as a full-time starting 5.
Sarr, meanwhile, could hit the ground sprinting (soaring?) with the Hawks, anchoring their bottom-five defense with paint protection and perimeter switch-ability while perhaps becoming the preferred pick-and-choose partner with whichever playmaker they keep. His ceiling, if fully realized, could one day feature dynamic finishing at the rim, jump-shooting out to the perimeter and an ability to make plays for himself and his teammates on the short roll.
