F Noah Clowney (Alabama)
There hasn’t been a ton of concrete connections between the Hawks and Noah Clowney, but it makes some sense. Clowney might not usually be one of the first picks post-lottery, but in a draft without much depth at the Center position, Clowney is seeing his stock rise.
With the Hawks seemingly set on moving one of (if not both of) John Collins or Clint Capela, the team will need some reinforcements down low.
Clowney averaged 9.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in his one-and-done season for the Crimson Tide. He shot 48.6% on the year. Clowney does have some potential as a 3-point shooter (hit 34 of them in 36 games last year), but he will need to refine it and get more efficient.
He is also a strong defender and can guard multiple positions. With the Hawks needing to improve defensively, Clowney would be a big help on that end of the floor.
Clowney feasibly could play either the 4 or the 5 at the next level, but I think he projects more as a power forward. I could see Clowney serving as the 3rd or 4th big next year for the Hawks (with that also depending on what they do with Capela/Collins) if they do pick him. He could be a guy that mainly plays PF, but is capable of playing center if the team plays a little small. Clowney also has experience playing alongside a traditional big man, as he paired with Charles Bediako at Alabama.
A couple of weeks ago I would have said that for the Hawks to pick Clowney, they likely were going to trade back. However, I now believe that Clowney will go somewhere in the 15-20 range, meaning the Hawks might stay at No. 15 to take him if they do.
Some other names to watch for the Hawks are:
Keyonte George, Nick Smith Jr., Bilal Coulibaly, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and Leonard Miller