Atlanta Hawks win #1 Pick in 2024 Draft Lottery

[Geaux_Hawks]

I like Ware, and wouldn't mind having him, but to me, Sarr's the better long-term prospect, and the near future gains aren't far off.

NOTED.

FWIW, i've looked into his finishing issues over the week, and a lot of his interior opportunities get wasted when the guards are throwing bounce passes under the rim instead of feeding him a high lob. Giving help defenders time to recover just defeats the purpose of the drive. Every time I saw it happen, my immediate thought was, "Trae would've thrown a lob". Obviously he needs to bulk up more so he can finish cleaner over bigs in any given situation.

Serious concern: What happens when Trae isn't here, though?

We expect TY to manage the kid's offense, but there is a legit chance Trae won't be around for the long haul.

Spoiler:

NOT a REAL TRADE...yet.

If we trade Trae, then we're rebuilding, and it doesn't matter anyway. He'll have plenty of time to develop.

Unless the assumption is just purely that Sarr will never actually grow beyond the 224 he's currently listed at and has butterfingers.

[Jamaaliver]

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[jayu70]

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[Jamaaliver]

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He's a good prospect, but yet another dude who can't create offense for himself or others.

The spotlight of being #1 overall would be too bright for a kid this limited.

He's a good complementary piece -- but not a franchise cornerstone.

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[Jamaaliver]

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[FarBeyondDriven]

the problem with evaluating Sarr and other international players that are OADs is these leagues don't cater to them. In fact, they resent them for using their leagues as a springboard to the NBA and for taking minutes from their buddies who are lifers trying to feed their families. So how do you judge an 18 y/o playing with grown men and getting backup minutes? PER 36 is the best tool we have and Sarr put up 20-9-2 with a steal and nearly 3 blocks per game. The guy Sarr reminds me of most, Evan Mobley, had a PER 40 of 19-10-3 with nearly 3.5 blocks per game playing against his peers at USC. Same height, length, athleticism and skillset. One plays overseas and is thought of as a weak #1 in one of the supposed weakest draft classes in history. The other was considered elite and a major reason why his draft class was considered strong. Go figure.

But maybe PER numbers aren't your thing. Then what I'd point to is instead of trying to evaluate him based on backup minutes against grown men, how is he against his peers in FIBA tournaments and other showcases? Having watched the U19 tournaments I can tell you that he stood out on both ends. He was a problem. He was being underutilized on offense but he still flashed a whole bunch. And he was very disruptive on defense both blocking shots and defending the perimeter.

Then when he faced a few lottery talents on G-League Ignite he did this:

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As an outside observer and someone who disagrees with everyone and doesn't think this is a weak draft, Sarr should be your pick. Sarr works as either a core building block alongside Johnson, Hunter, Griffin for a rebuild and he works as a Day 1 PNR rim-running, pick and pop partner with Trae and/or Dejounte. I think there's actually some Embiid offensive potential. Just the way he shoots and is capable of putting the ball on the floor at his height. His shot will likely be the determining factor there. Just remember, Embiid was 22 y/o as a rookie and didn't become an average three point shooter until his 4th season. Sarr just turned 19 y/o. I'd be way more excited about Sarr than you guys seem to be

[tbhawksfan1]

the problem with evaluating Sarr and other international players that are OADs is these leagues don't cater to them. In fact, they resent them for using their leagues as a springboard to the NBA and for taking minutes from their buddies who are lifers trying to feed their families. So how do you judge an 18 y/o playing with grown men and getting backup minutes? PER 36 is the best tool we have and Sarr put up 20-9-2 with a steal and nearly 3 blocks per game. The guy Sarr reminds me of most, Evan Mobley, had a PER 40 of 19-10-3 with nearly 3.5 blocks per game playing against his peers at USC. Same height, length, athleticism and skillset. One plays overseas and is thought of as a weak #1 in one of the supposed weakest draft classes in history. The other was considered elite and a major reason why his draft class was considered strong. Go figure.

But maybe PER numbers aren't your thing. Then what I'd point to is instead of trying to evaluate him based on backup minutes against grown men, how is he against his peers in FIBA tournaments and other showcases? Having watched the U19 tournaments I can tell you that he stood out on both ends. He was a problem. He was being underutilized on offense but he still flashed a whole bunch. And he was very disruptive on defense both blocking shots and defending the perimeter.

Then when he faced a few lottery talents on G-League Ignite he did this:

Watch on YouTube

As an outside observer and someone who disagrees with everyone and doesn't think this is a weak draft, Sarr should be your pick. Sarr works as either a core building block alongside Johnson, Hunter, Griffin for a rebuild and he works as a Day 1 PNR rim-running, pick and pop partner with Trae and/or Dejounte. I think there's actually some Embiid offensive potential. Just the way he shoots and is capable of putting the ball on the floor at his height. His shot will likely be the determining factor there. Just remember, Embiid was 22 y/o as a rookie and didn't become an average three point shooter until his 4th season. Sarr just turned 19 y/o. I'd be way more excited about Sarr than you guys seem to be

Thanks for droping in. I completely agree

[Jamaaliver]

As an outside observer and someone who disagrees with everyone and doesn't think this is a weak draft, Sarr should be your pick. Sarr works as either a core building block alongside Johnson, Hunter, Griffin for a rebuild and he works as a Day 1 PNR rim-running, pick and pop partner with Trae and/or Dejounte.

I think there's actually some Embiid offensive potential. Just the way he shoots and is capable of putting the ball on the floor at his height. His shot will likely be the determining factor there.

Sarr just turned 19 y/o. I'd be way more excited about Sarr than you guys seem to be

[HMFFL]

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He's a good prospect, but yet another dude who can't create offense for himself or others.

The spotlight of being #1 overall would be too bright for a kid this limited.

He's a good complementary piece -- but not a franchise cornerstone.

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At his age in the Euro League he's not going to get the freedom you're thinking he may has. So, you won't see him create his own shot as much, but he can bring the ball up, and he can be the next Tatum. Time will tell.

Regardless, I believe we must draft Sarr. His movement is fluid, he reminds me of a young Anthony Davis, and he's going to be taken first overall.

[Jamaaliver]

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He's a good prospect, but yet another dude who can't create offense for himself or others.

At his age in the Euro League he's not going to get the freedom you're thinking he may has. So, you won't see him create his own shot at much, but he can bring the ball up, and he can be the next Tatum. Time will tell.

Tatum?!
Embiid?!?

You guys are indeed swinging high on these guys.

I view Sarr as a guy who pairs well with Trae long term...but can we count on Trae being here long term?

I view Risacher as a guy who rounds out the front court perfectly and fits next to Jalen and Okongwu.

I hope either guy develops as optimistically as you all believe.

[raleigh]

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I made it all the way several of the longer videos of his possessions at Perth. A few thoughts:

* His minutes were indeed sporadic.

* Yes, he desperately needs to add strength. It impacts his rebounding, his screening, his finishing, and his 1-on-1 post defense. He has the frame, so I'm not concerned.

* The "bad hands" thing is a bit overstated because some of the passes were around his knees, but he does do the "Capela bobble" more often than you'd like. At times, it felt like he was rushing and/or overthinking.

* His interest in shooting from the top of the arc should be easy to mesh with the current offensive approach.

* The defensive versatility is everything it's made out to be and more than enough to justify taking him #1.

[raleigh]

It's also worth acknowledging that Alex Sarr is similarly a major project.

Depends on what you mean. I don't think you can call a guy who could start from Day 1 a "major project." It will be a major developmental process to get Sarr to All-Star caliber, however.

By contrast, getting Ware's defense to a point where he's not a liability may take a few years.

[raleigh]

I'm often reminded that Daniel Gafford and Nic Claxton both fell out of the 1st round

These are the two guys I looked up immediately when thinking about Ware. Both guys didn't really get starts until their 3rd season.

Meanwhile, Mobley and JJJ started in year 1. I think that's an important distinction.

[Jamaaliver]

I am skeptical that Alex can (or should) start on a competitive team as a skinny 19 year old. I don't think he'll pick up Quin's intricate offense in a few months. I don't think he knows how to set proper screens, properly box out.

Trying to make this kid a starting Center in the NBA would be to everyone's detriment.
(Except San Antonio, who'd benefit as our place in the standings plummeted un back into the lottery.)

It's also worth acknowledging that Alex Sarr is similarly a major project.

Depends on what you mean. I don't think you can call a guy who could start from Day 1 a "major project." It will be a major developmental process to get Sarr to All-Star caliber, however.

By contrast, getting Ware's defense to a point where he's not a liability may take a few years.

I'm often reminded that Daniel Gafford and Nic Claxton both fell out of the 1st round

These are the two guys I looked up immediately when thinking about Ware. Both guys didn't really get starts until their 3rd season.

Meanwhile, Mobley and JJJ started in year 1. I think that's an important distinction.

[NDaATL]

Sarr is a no brainer #1 to me. You just can't pass on talent like that IMO.

Nothing from that Sarr video scares me. The skillset and size/speed at 18 years old is incredible and much of that will transfer on day 1.

I'm not surprised that he struggled to finish against heavy contact in traffic as an 18 year old playing against much stronger 25-30 year olds. Most bigs do. He will get stronger. Giannis weighed 196 at the combine, he is 240+ now. Sarr is already 224 which was heavier than projected. He was listed at 216 lbs at Perth so he's added 8 lbs in less than a year.

At 18 years old, Sarr was already taking and making 3's IN GAMES. The fact that the team even let him shoot threes says that he's a solid shooter and must have shot decently in practice. Many bigs don't even ATTEMPT threes until their early or mid 20s. He also shot 71.4% from FT. Sarr has serious potential as a shooter. At his size that will be unguardable. He just needs to bulk up and get stronger which he will. The dude was literally 18 in that video.

All signs point to him being a gym rat, he has family that are pro players, he's played in 3 different countries (Spain, USA, and Australia) and seems to have completely built his life around basketball, and is not afraid to take on a new challenge.

Don't overthink this.

[CP War Hawks]

Sarr has his warts like lack of left hand ability and overall strength. However the guy is 7*1 in shoes and super coordinated. Trae will get him easy baskets just like he did Collins early on.

He's basically a 7 footer version of Josh Smith in transition. His fit for the roster is more seamless than Zac imo. The decline of the Hawks started with the decline of Capela to protect the back end... can't be the only person that noticed this.

He should be able to bow up with the likes of Giannis or wings like Tatum while cleaning up poor poa defense from the guards.

[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

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