The 2024 NBA draft lottery is in the books and the Atlanta Hawks have stunned everyone by winning the No. 1 overall pick. The Hawks had a 3% chance of landing the top pick and will now be set up extremely well for the opportunity to transform their organization in June. Here’s a look at some of the paths Atlanta could take.
If the Hawks do hold onto this pick, Alex Sarr appears to be the best fit given his versatility and defensive prowess. Sarr has not been an elite offensive talent but the Hawks have plenty of scoring. Head coach Quin Snyder could use some defensive stoppers, and Sarr definitely qualifies. Atlanta could also look to the interior and add Donovan Clingan, who was arguably the best defensive big in college and has the ability to erase shots at the rim.
Atlanta could also go all-in on offense and upside with Zaccharie Risacher, who has shot up draft boards late in the year. Risacher’s perimeter shot appears to be stabilizing a bit, which helps his stock. We’ll see if the Hawks want to keep loading up on wing players but Risacher does have a bit of a size advantage over De’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Saddiq Bey.
The question will be whether the Hawks keep the Trae Young-Dejounte Murray backcourt together. Having the top pick allows Atlanta to potentially ship out both players and completely reset the roster, although that might not sit well with fans and the coaching staff. We’ll see how Atlanta plays this but I think the Hawks should take Sarr with the top selection in the June draft.