The Hawks own the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming draft and figuring out who they’ll select is no easy feat. Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com has the team selecting Jaren Jackson Jr. out of Michigan State. The big man, who won’t turn 19 until mid-September, has a high ceiling and would be an ideal partner in the frontcourt alongside John Collins, Givony contends.
Both Jackson and Marvin Bagley III, a projected top-3 pick, will work out for the team next week, according to Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).
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Luka Doncic won’t work out for the Hawks, as he’s not holding any individual workouts for teams ahead of the draft. Heading into lottery night, he appeared to be a lock to be selected in the top-2. However, the 19-year-old will likely be available when Atlanta picks based on the Kings’ reported disinterest in the Slovenian wing. It’s been reported that the Hawks are likely to pass on him as well.
Whoever is selected with the No. 3 pick is projected to make a starting salary of approximately $6.5MM. While we wait to see what the Hawks do with their selection, check out some notes from Atlanta:
- Mohamed Bamba is tentatively scheduled to work out for the Hawks on June 14, Cunningham tweets. Grayson Allen and Trae Young are also expected to workout for the team next week.
- The Hawks will have several prospects come into town on Wednesday, according to a team press release. Alize Johnson (Missouri State), George King (Colorado), Billy Preston (Bosnia), Omari Spellman (Villanova), Jared Terrell (Rhode Island) and Thomas Welsh (UCLA) will all visit Atlanta.
- Atlanta has hired Nate Babcock to be a special assistant on coach Lloyd Pierce’s staff, Cunningham reports (via Twitter). The Hawks’ coaching staff is now complete.
I wonder if the reason Donic won’t workout is because he has a promise from PHX no matter where they end up picking. It just doesn’t make sense to risk millions by sliding in the draft. 1rst pick 6.7, 2nd 6.0, 3rd 5.4, 4th 4.8…. you get the picture….. I think it’s just postering and collusion by phx to get us or Sac to move up to #1!
Working out for teams would cause Doncic to drop.
As things stand now he’s the mystery guy. We don’t know if he’s going to be great, a dud, or somewhere in between. Somebody like the Kings who have not drafted well, will take a flyer on him because they can’t Scout properly.
Doncic should be picked in the teens, not in the top five.
I’m going to take it, you’re just not a fan of Euro players
No Doncic is a bust.
I can understand not liking the Euro players compared to American players, however you can’t say he’s a bust before he even plays a game.
Also there is the off the court….. Donic will sell tickets the a different area of the fan base that we’ve never seen in Atlanta.
We’ve seen him play plenty of games. There’s a YouTube highlight reel full of them.
That would be a lack of due diligence. I would not want a GM that depends on YouTube clips! I as a fan wouldn’t make a decision on YouTube clips…..
So many of you are quick to call him a bust and talk about watching him on YouTube etc. But don’t even know that he can’t workout due to playing in the Spanish league playoffs. He is proving that he is committed to the team that he plays for by showing that not even the NBA draft process is large enough to pull him away from a chance to help his team win. All the scouts say he’s a “ultimate competitor” type but now that he’s still competing instead of working out you want to bash him and call him a bust.
Guaranteed the Hawks mess this up
And with the 3rd pick in the NBA draft, the Atlanta Hawks select……. KOSTAS ANTETOKOUNMPO from Dayton University
That’s just mean!!!! Lol
In that I must admit I don’t think the top prospects should really have to do workouts with the teams, all have their scouts in this day & age, we can all see tons of footage of each player in their teams playing, which is much better than doing whatever in a gym. So this is the first thing that I admire Doncic for, I wish the others were stronger & had more believe in themselves. They can interview them in the combine or go their homes & have a nice relaxed interview so you meet the person, no need for all this endless useless workouts, what a waste of time & resources for players & teams that go through dozens of prospects.
I disagree….. I think the endless workouts show you are willing to do it day in and day out. I also think it shows them how you play against more athletic players, especially with Donic….. Think about it, these days you go on what 3/4 interviews with the same company to get a good jo, why is sports seen differently?