No. 1 Atlanta Hawks – James Wiseman, Memphis Center
While he may not be the best available player in the class, the Hawks have a need on their roster and James Wiseman fills it.
James Wiseman is taking a gamble on himself by leaving Memphis early and hiring an agent to begin training for the NBA Draft, but if the Hawks do indeed end up with the first pick, he should be their guy.
Wiseman is as physically gifted as anyone in the draft, but he will have some serious work to do on his skill development and decision-making to become a reliable NBA big man.
For the Hawks, Wiseman makes sense both in terms of their timeline and a need. This season has not gone at all how they wanted or envisioned, but a future of Trae Young running pick-and-rolls with Wiseman while Kevin Huerter and De’Andre Hunter space the floor looks pretty solid.
It’s a risky proposition to not go best available with the No. 1 pick, and at this current moment Wiseman is not the best talent in his class, but in this case, the fit is too obvious to ignore for Atlanta.