Schlenk: Hawks still seeking franchise cornerstone

[King Ken]

Zion is an elite defensive prospect most comparable to Ben Wallace. Obviously Collins is WIP but I wouldn't count him out.

Zion projects to be a good defender ("most comparable" to Ben Wallace might be a stretch), but I don't see how Collins ever gets there. Short arms (relatively speaking), poor lateral mobility, and not notably strong. I think his ceiling is "OK defender." Which isn't a problem if you have a mobile rim protector next to him at the 5. It's dicey with Zion. Like I said, I'd draft Zion anyway and try to make it work. Only a 10.5% chance this argument matters.

I project him to be Ben Wallace on D. I am extremely high on his defense. I am very high on his offense as well but not as high as the masses. I think he's a #2 option long term in his best case situation. His defense is what's insane. His offense will be effective and he will score at will like AD but I think it's his defense that will be elite and what he is truly dominant at.

[Buzzard]

This. Zion and Collins could work similar like Al and Sap long term

I don't think we will move up in the drawing that far but stranger things have happened. I see us drafting two wings; or one wing and a center as BPA. It would be interesting also if we moved up to #2 and could shop Ja around like we did Donic last year.

I rather take Barrett. For me, there is a major gap in this draft after 3. I think Barrett is special

Just guessing and looking at a worse case scenario, other than losing out on the Dallas pick, we take De'Andre Hunter and Jaxson Hayes. Hayes is a project with great defensiveness instincts. Hunter is plug and play D with a great shot at starting his rookie season.

[King Ken]

I don't think we will move up in the drawing that far but stranger things have happened. I see us drafting two wings; or one wing and a center as BPA. It would be interesting also if we moved up to #2 and could shop Ja around like we did Donic last year.

I rather take Barrett. For me, there is a major gap in this draft after 3. I think Barrett is special

Just guessing and looking at a worse case scenario, other than losing out on the Dallas pick, we take De'Andre Hunter and Jaxson Hayes. Hayes is a project with great defensiveness instincts. Hunter is plug and play D with a great shot at starting his rookie season.

I am not against it at all. I would prefer two wings but I am not against Hayes at all. I think his potential is sky high but his floor is really low.

[Jamaaliver]

Collins, Young building chemistry of Hawks’ foundation



When Trae Young had his pre-draft workout with the Hawks last summer there was one very interested observer in addition to the team’s front office and coaching staff.

John Collins was there.

The forward had just completed his rookie season and wanted to see for himself what the team might be getting in the young point guard. The duo has embarked on a journey to be cornerstones of the Hawks organization as it rebuilds. With 14 games remaining in their first regular season together, the rapport between the players, on and off the court, is undeniable.

All season long, Young and Collins have combined on one highlight-worthy play after another. Collins has dunked on lob and pocket passes from Young. Young has made 3-pointers well beyond the arc on screens from Collins.

Young has 532 assists this season with 22 percent coming on baskets by Collins. Young is eighth in the NBA with 7.8 assists per game. According to NBA statistics, 18.4 of Young’s passes are to Collins and 51.9 percent of Collins’ passes are to Young.

In the pick-and-roll world of the NBA, it’s one thing to run the play. It’s another to be successful. Collins and Young are proving a worthy duo.

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Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce recently noted that Collins has a 70 percent field goal percentage on assisted baskets and a 50 percent field goal on unassisted baskets. He has a 68.7 effective field goal percentage on assists from Young.

“We have a perfect guy to pair with (Collins) if he needs someone to get him going,” Pierce said.

AJC.com

[saloonyk8]

I don't think we will move up in the drawing that far but stranger things have happened. I see us drafting two wings; or one wing and a center as BPA. It would be interesting also if we moved up to #2 and could shop Ja around like we did Donic last year.

I rather take Barrett. For me, there is a major gap in this draft after 3. I think Barrett is special

Just guessing and looking at a worse case scenario, other than losing out on the Dallas pick, we take De'Andre Hunter and Jaxson Hayes. Hayes is a project with great defensiveness instincts. Hunter is plug and play D with a great shot at starting his rookie season.

There's a chance that Culver, Reddish and Hunter will be gone off we draft at 7 or below. In that case, there's limited options other than Hayes assuming he's the best big prospect in this draft. I'm that case as well, I think not having the Dallas pick could be a blessing

[Buzzard]

I rather take Barrett. For me, there is a major gap in this draft after 3. I think Barrett is special

Just guessing and looking at a worse case scenario, other than losing out on the Dallas pick, we take De'Andre Hunter and Jaxson Hayes. Hayes is a project with great defensiveness instincts. Hunter is plug and play D with a great shot at starting his rookie season.

There's a chance that Culver, Reddish and Hunter will be gone off we draft at 7 or below. In that case, there's limited options other than Hayes assuming he's the best big prospect in this draft. I'm that case as well, I think not having the Dallas pick could be a blessing

The below updated mock has Culver dropping to 10th; Hunter and Langford dropping to 12 and 13. This is going to be no different than any other draft. Some will improve with their tournament performance, some with their workouts and measurements; while others will drop. I don't mind losing the Dallas pick this year as much either. In 2020 they could be letting high school players in. Lord only knows what that draft will look like.

https://www.nbadraft.net/2019mock_draft

I believe in this ownership and management group. We will improve next season with or without the Dallas pick this year.

[Jamaaliver]

“If we’re going to be honest with ourselves, we don’t have that franchise guy,” Schlenk told Sirius XM NBA Radio on Tuesday.

“We’re in a climate in today’s NBA that superstar players can really control where they want to go,” Schlenk said. “So it’s tough to get those guys in free agency. They want to go to a place where they can team up with someone else to try to win a championship. Unfortunately right now, that’s not where we are as an organization.”

“So for us, the best way to get that cornerstone, franchise kind of guy is the draft, and that’s kind of the path we’ve decided to go,” Schlenk said.

Dec 2017




A year and a half later, I'd say we have a few.

Kudos to Travis.

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[jayu70]

“If we’re going to be honest with ourselves, we don’t have that franchise guy,” Schlenk told Sirius XM NBA Radio on Tuesday.

“We’re in a climate in today’s NBA that superstar players can really control where they want to go,” Schlenk said. “So it’s tough to get those guys in free agency. They want to go to a place where they can team up with someone else to try to win a championship. Unfortunately right now, that’s not where we are as an organization.”

“So for us, the best way to get that cornerstone, franchise kind of guy is the draft, and that’s kind of the path we’ve decided to go,” Schlenk said.

A year and a half later, I'd say we have a few.

Kudos to Travis.

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You need to add a date to that quote, someone might think TS said that last night.

[_s_t_u_r_t_]

The passive aggressive jabs are so you, Jay... it makes someone feel so special to be so regularly jabbed over this or that.

To the uninformed, someone has brought up this point ad nauseum over the last year, and when challenged, to Jay's credit really, she has been one to have the link ready to support someone's point.

But someone thinks it's probably missing a distinction Schlenk was after when he said what he said here, put together with other quotes, ie, that a cornerstone is that lead dog that is essential to winning a title, not merely being a possible ASG selection at some point(s) in his career.

And it's really intriguing to bring this back up the day after....

Schlenk has effectively covered all his bases with what happened last night...

Hunter has not normally been cited as one of those who could be an elite talent coming out of this draft, but to the other side, he's been cited as having arguably the highest floor...

SO... if in fact Schlenk had concluded that Trae projects to be an elite/cornerstone talent in this league... ie, someone whose career will much more resemble someone like a Steve Nash than that of a Mike Bibby... then getting Hunter makes a whole lotta sense.

And otoh...

Reddish has not normally been cited as one of those talents that you could bank on to become even a starter necessarily, but to the other side, he's been cited as having arguably the highest ceiling.

SO... if in fact Schlenk had any doubts about his assessment of Trae's future, then getting Reddish makes a whole lotta sense.

Then, just add to that, that I'm one of those who personally was on the island of Bruno, persuaded that he was one of maybe 4 guys not named Zion in this draft with a chance at becoming an elite.

It's all worked out so well, it's a little scary, really... I'm not used to having good fortune as an ATL fan, and I'm fully prepared to learn that this was all just a dream, just a trick, just a prank, just some Hollywood production to play with my head.... and that the REAL draft isn't going to happen until NEXT week.

[jayu70]

The passive aggressive jabs are so you, Jay... it makes someone feel so special to be so regularly jabbed over this or that.

.

I'm neither passive nor aggressive....I'm well balanced with both equally.

[_s_t_u_r_t_]

Tell that to... someone... else.