5 Prospects Atlanta Hawks desperately need to consider in 2023 NBA Draft
C Dereck Lively II (Duke)
Dereck Lively II is one of the most unique prospects in the draft. His numbers in college don’t quite tell the story of the hype he is getting. However, he has the potential to be a difference-maker at the next level and will likely be the first non-Wenbanyama center taken in the draft.
Lively is the best rim protector in the draft. He is 7’1 with a monstrous 7’7 wingspan. He is athletic and can be a true difference-maker on the defensive end. In fact, he has received some comps to Tyson Chandler in terms of what he can do defensively. However, he averaged just 5.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in his lone year at Duke. On the other end of the spectrum though, he did block 2.4 shots per game and also shot 65.8% from the field. The counting numbers weren’t there at Duke, but the potential is high.
Whether he meets his ceiling or not might come down to his 3-point shot. Lively shot just 2-for-13 from deep at Duke, however, he has shown a lot of potential with shooting behind the arc in pre-draft workouts. Clips of Lively knocking down threes have caused his hype to skyrocket amongst fans. Imagine a center of his ability defensively being able to knock down threes at a high clip. However, we must remember that shooting threes in a workout is far different from being able to knock them down in a game. Still, the intrigue is there.
Picking Lively value-wise for the Hawks might be interesting. Trading up to pick him at 10 might be too much (in terms of what it would take to move up, and he might be a bit of a reach at 10), and on the other end of the spectrum, I’m not sure he will be available at 15 if the Hawks stay put.
Nevertheless, he would seemingly be a natural player to step in behind Okongwu at C if the Hawks do move Capela. However, if the Hawks keep Capela then I doubt they would pick Lively. Being able to play behind Okongwu I also think would help him have some time to develop without having to play too many minutes (although he would likely have the ability to make a difference in the minutes he does get).
As mentioned, Lively is one of the most intriguing players in the draft. There is some risk in picking him due to his low offensive production in college. Is he going to be able to flip the switch and grow as an offensive player in the NBA? However, he at least has a solid floor as a rim-protecting defender to go along with the potential.