NBA Draft 2020: 5 franchises that needs to add shooting most

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are built around the immense talents of franchise point guard Trae Young. Despite Young being an excellent, volume 3-point shooter—36.5% on 9.5 3-point attempts per game in 2019-20—the Hawks were the worst 3-point shooting team in the league at 33.3%.

The Hawks need a lot to turn the franchise around, including patience. But with the No. 6 and No. 50 picks in the draft, Atlanta can continue to build towards a bright future by balancing out their core. They can add perimeter shooting without completely disregarding their need for solid defenders.

Immanuel Quickley

SG – Kentucky- Career 39.7% from 3-point range – 232 total 3-point attempts

 In his freshman year at Kentucky, Quickley was a little-used backup guard who showed scoring potential, putting up a solid-for-his-role 11.3 points per 40 minutes. In Year 2 under John Calipari, Quickley saw a gigantic leap in his production and role. He shot 5.9 3-point attempts per 40 minutes, knocking them down at a 42.8% clip.

Quickley’s transformation into a lights-out 3-point shooter will do wonders for his draft stock. While I still think Quickley needs to add some weight to his 6-foot-3, 188 lb. frame, he is ready for the NBA now. He has a massive 6-foot-10 wingspan and impacts the game on both sides of the ball. Due to the uncertain nature of the 2020 NBA Draft, Atlanta may need to trade up from No. 50 in the second round to snag Quickley.

Josh Green 

SG/SF – Arizona – Career 36.1% from 3-point range – 83 total 3-point attempts

Arizona wing Josh Green is known for his immense athleticism and defensive ability. He possesses a 6-foot-10 wingspan and clearly has the frame to handle NBA assignments already. Green didn’t shoot anywhere nearly enough 3-pointers over his lone year at Arizona to garner absolute confidence in his jump shot, but the NCAA helps his case.

Green shot 36.1% on 3.6 3-point attempts per 40 minutes. It is not an incredibly inspiring figure but for a player who defends as well as him, it makes him worth a high pick. Taking Green at No. 6 would be an overdraft but he is heavily in play if they move down. The Hawks could use more shooting but are in desperate need of wing defenders. Cam Reddish and DeAndre Hunter were great selections in the 2019 NBA Draft for that reason.

Josh Green would add some defensive skill to the Hawks’ rotation and the possibility of moving down to grab him would allow Atlanta to recoup some lost draft picks.

Killian Tillie 

PF/C – Gonzaga – Career 44.4% 3-point shooter – 239 total 3-point attempts

Killian Tillie has been one of the most efficient scorers in the nation for four years straight. In his senior season, Tillie stepped it up a notch. He scored a career-best 30.5 points per 100 possessions on a 22.9% usage rate as the Bulldogs cruised to their fourth-straight 30+ win season. Tillie has shown the clear-cut ability to space the floor from spot-ups, pick-and-pops, and—while not as likely—coming off of down screens.

But Tillie’s incredible agility is of course in no way exclusive to the offense. The nimble big man can cover a surprising amount of ground on defense. He has been a part of multiple ‘Zags teams that were excellent on that side of the ball. Tillie’s carer 3.6% block rate goes a long way towards showing his impressive activity level on defense.

He will be susceptible to being an extremely foul-prone player at the NBA level and will need coaches to help him adjust to professional referees. But overall coaches would rather have a player be overzealous in their defensive effort, versus having to coax them into trying on defense.