We are fully in draft season now.
With a lauded class of athletes entering the draft this cycle — barring some unexpected withdrawals — there will surely be differing opinions for the Hawks at number eight overall.
Let’s do a quick check-in on who different media members project the Hawks to take, pre-combine edition:
Jeremy Woo of ESPN gets us started with a popular Louisville guard:
8. Atlanta Hawks (via New Orleans)
Mikel Brown Jr., PG, Louisville
FreshmanThe Hawks’ shrewd decision to trade away the 13th pick in last year’s draft for
this one — the better of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s selections — didn’t result in a top-four pick but still moved them up five spots in a strong draft. Selecting this early after winning 46 games last season was a positive outcome for Atlanta, no matter where this pick fell. The Hawks lack a true point guard after moving on from Trae Young, and Brown’s perimeter playmaking makes him an intriguing fit if they opt to go in that direction.
Brown’s back injury made it difficult for him to boost his stock in-season, making the predraft process critical for showing teams he is healthy and reminding them of his significant offensive talent. His positional size, shooting ability and passing skills should stand out in workout settings, but he needs a positive spring to work his way further up the board in a guard-heavy lottery, with Darius Acuff, Keaton Wagler and Kingston Flemings all having outstanding seasons. There are still scouts who view Brown’s upside as the highest of the group, but it might take some work for him to leap ahead of the other top guards.
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie settled on the same player. His blurb:
8. Atlanta Hawks (via NOP)
Mikel Brown Jr. | 6-4 guard | 20 years old | Louisville
Brown’s best flashes were those of a top-five pick. He dropped 45 points with 10 made 3s in a game against NC State, then followed it up with 29 points, six assists and three rebounds against Baylor and 29 points, five rebounds and four assists against SMU. When Brown had it rolling, there was no more dynamic ball-screen playmaker in college basketball. He has range out to 30 feet, and his vision as a playmaker for others exceeds everyone in the class when playing in a screen. If anyone in this deep draft class could average nine or 10 assists per game in the NBA, it’s Brown.
So why does he slip to No. 8? Some negative aspects of his game resemble the issues LaMelo Ball has, while he’s not quite as dynamic as Ball is in his best moments. First and foremost, Brown is extremely wild. The turnovers are an issue. He hasn’t figured out how to moderate his decision-making. Second, his defense is a work in progress. He’s a serious negative in switch situations against stronger players, and his off-ball instincts are hit or miss. Brown’s back injury recurred later in the season, too, causing him to miss the postseason. He got very little time off from the end of his high school season to the start of his college season, going from the all-star circuit directly into the under-19 World Cup and then into Louisville’s preseason. Scouts want to know if Brown’s back is merely a short-term issue from overuse or if it could be a long-term problem.
For a team that moved Trae Young at the deadline and has some pressing questions at the lead guard spot, Brown makes a ton of sense. He’d fit next to players like Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and his shooting ability would help accentuate Jalen Johnson’s driving skills.
And third and finally, J. Kyle Mann of The Ringer’s NBA coverage tapped a different guard prospect:
8. Atlanta Hawks (via New Orleans)
Kingston Flemings (Guard, Houston)
Many in the basketball world cackled at New Orleans’s decision to trade its 2026 pick for the 13th spot in last year’s draft because they saw two things on the horizon: the talent in the 2026 class and the losses that were inevitably in store for the Pelicans. Atlanta didn’t ultimately find a golden ticket, as NOLA avoided the catastrophe of finishing at the bottom of the standings, but it still has a chance to fill a need in a draft chock-full of skilled guards. You could argue that it would be hard for the Hawks to go wrong with the guards that are likely to be available in this range, but in this scenario, Flemings would make the most sense to me. For one, he is greased lightning with a basketball in open space, and the Hawks excel at creating fast-break opportunities with their defense. For another, he’s an underrated playmaker who is just as happy flowing within an offense as he is creating for himself.
Do you agree with either of these selections? Who else would be a better pick for the Hawks? Please let me know in the comments below.
