Atlanta Hawks: 2024 NBA Draft deep dive, Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, No. 1 pick options (Part 1)

Atlanta Hawks: 2024 NBA Draft deep dive, Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, No. 1 pick options (Part 1)

on today’s show we are less than one week away from the NBA draft of course it is now crunch time and I’m joined on today’s podcast by my friend Ben feifer who covers the NBA draft all year long this is part one of two and it’s coming up right now you are locked on Hawks your daily Atlanta Hawks podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day Hello friends welcome to episode 1744 of Lon Hawks podcast I am your host Brad Roland coming to you on a Thursday afternoon here in late June as the NBA draft is rapidly approaching and today’s podcast is brought to you by Folks at priz piix the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports the place to go is prize.com lockon NBA when you get there use the pro promo code locked on NBA for first time deposit match up to $100 also want to encourage you at the top of the podcast as I always do to make us your first listen each and every day check it out and subscribe to lockon Hawks across podcast platforms that includes apple and Spotify and overcast on the audio side as well as YouTube on the video side and I’m joined on Today’s Show by Ben feifer Ben’s been on the show many times before covering the NBA draft including once back in March during this cycle and uh not a ton of news right now if you missed it I had Ricky odonnell on the show for a two-part episode uh really yesterday as I’m releasing this podcast on Thursday at the top of that I did a little bit of a checkup on the latest Intel and Rumblings and Reporting most of that still applies right now also earlier this week I had Sam Vini on the show of the athletic and he released a new Mock Draft today for example I did a solo show including some Landry Fields press conference thoughts it’s actually gonna be episode five and six of the week as I do this two-parter with Ben Fifer so plenty of stuff to come I’m doing a little bit of uh ejecting from Atlanta this weekend so this will probably be the last set of episodes until later um probably Sunday night into Monday but if news breaks I’ll will obviously be on it as soon as I possibly can and uh obviously the Silly Season so there’s lots of Intel lots of maybe smok screen in Intel all that fun stuff flying around and we’ll sort of update that I’ll try to do my best as well on social media if you want to follow the show on Twitter at Lon Hawks follow me there as well at BTR roll if you’d like to and without any further delay here is part one with myself and Ben Fifer with part two to to come in this same podcast feed as soon as part one is over I’m joined Now by Ben Fifer a second time person on this podcast this cycle and I’m not even sure how many times previously hello how how are you been a lot I’m good um thank you Brad for accomodating my lateness today but excited to come and talk come and talk about the Hawks as I said to him just a second ago certainly didn’t think we’d be talking about the number one pick when we were talking about the Hawks in March I don’t really even know if we talked about the the top guys much at all kind of but not yeah we kind of focused a little bit further down yeah I mean Ben came on uh I think pre- tournament maybe like you know mid March something like that uh to kind of do like the you know almost there kind of draft primer thing that we did in between while the Hawks were still playing games and well before the lottery and all that so A lot has changed of course and you know number one pick is number one pick um I’ve asked this to everyone but I’m gonna ask you uh throw out the Intel for a second analysis only what would your bored kind of not even necessarily like which players in what order right now but like how many guys do you think are like even in consideration for you at number one overall versus like it seems like the Hawks board well I should say seems like I’m not I’m not report reporting this but it’s basically seems to be three players right based on the reporting that we can glean from yes you know on online offline Etc how big with that P be for you if you were in charge I would consider two those being SAR and Holland Holland is not going to be a he’s not gonna go there it’s actually the exact same thing so it’s funny uh I had Ricky odonnell on the last episode and Ricky did said the exact same thing Ricky was like two Ricky uh same as you did so draft internet type opinion I will also he has he he has topich as like his guy in this class obviously he was he’s he gave the caveat because he’s hurt and all that but he that’s that’s his other guy so anyway I love topish too I don’t think that would make sense for Atlanta but of course not yeah but you know yeah S I guess the realistic ones is the one that I would be like yeah yeah okay so that’s a good place to jump off of this right because if anything and look we’re recording this just for everybody knows uh late Wednesday I don’t know when it’s going to run probably Thursday at some point um it seems almost like SAR is like getting the least hype of the three right now as far as like the actual practical pick is concerned now that could change five times between now and Wednesday um but if you if we just sort of acknowledge that Holland isn’t going to be the pick and sar’s your other option what’s the case for SAR obviously that’s that’s very broad but you like him enough to have him that high what do you like about him and then we’ll kind of go and circle back of like what you may not be as in love with yeah I think SAR is pretty easily the guy out of the realistic options for me starts on the defensive end where to me he’s the best defensive prospect in this class the Hawks were a tragic defense last year and don’t have the greatest defensive roster you know they they have Jaylen Johnson Ona’s all right but they could really use a defensive star and I think SAR has the potential to be that I think he’s going to be an impactful defensive player right away at least in some capacity he’s a really special mover ground coverage type and exists in the spectrum of these Mo Chet wemi jiren Giannis modern perimeter almost somewhat perimeter oriented big where they can cover ground do a bunch of different stuff in the pick and roll comfortable on switches and short Hedges and blitzes and then can also rotate from the perimeter to the interior to cover ground and to help and to come from the weak side SAR obviously has to add strength but I think that’s a pretty common thing for most teenagers that’s not like totally scaring me off I do that interior defense like the technique him not being the most vertically explosive guy probably my biggest overall concerned with him defensively but I think he has a good chance to be a player who’s in all defense conversations every single year and then offensively while he certainly is raw I think Atlanta we’ve been kind of I feel I’ve been saying on this podcast for for years now that they’re they’re the place to get these progressing offensive players to because of Trey because of how Trey gives you like a 5% field goal percentage uptick just by the virtue of how many open shots he’s going to create for you and I think that’s going to be super beneficial for SAR a guy who didn’t really have Playmakers like that in in in the NBL Bryce Bryce Cotton’s an Australian Legend but that guy likes to get likes to get his shots up talk summer league Legend Bryce cotton by the way at one point just want to throw out there he’s a bucket but you know understandably sometimes not the most willing passer to teenagers on his team but SAR is a pretty troubling finisher like he’s just very weak in the core strength and the leaping isn’t great um his shooting is inconsistent but his driving and the flashes of handling and beating Bigs off the dribble using his fluidity his Mobility his passing improved a ton over the year I think he’s fairly comfortable like on the short roll which is a really important place place to be comfortable in a Trey young L offense which he showed flashes of and I think that’s important that he showed some real passing on the Move potential which I think while it’s not consistent the fact that he was able to do those higher level reads at times made me really optimistic and the fact that he was a really impressive like mid-range pull-up scorer this year which bodess well for three-point development and again like he’s going to get so many easy open looks from three that those are going to be really helpful and I think SAR at number one even for an established team like Atlanta I always think you have to go for upside or it’s just kind of a misuse of the resource um like I get there aren’t going be many trade down options but I’m certain I would imagine they could find a trade out straight up for like a player if they really wanted to but I think SAR while you know maybe not as quote unquote safe or Pro ready as a kingan or a Rea share but and again I don’t think the Hawks are a Kling in or Rea share away from contending and I doubt they think that either at least I would kind of hope they don’t um yeah where they’re still going to need a year or two of acquiring assets and developing guys I think they can get there absolutely I think Jaylen Johnson’s going to keep developing who knows what else they’re going to do hkin hopefully he developing I don’t know if the the AJ Griffin ship has probably been sailed at this point maybe but maybe like you don’t need to win this second like if SAR isn’t incredible year one that’s fine because I think there’s a great chance that in you know kingan might have a better rookie season but in two or three years it’s gonna be like okay yeah this guy is on a star trajectory and we’re glad we picked him and we’re glad we have this guy for the foreseeable future Today’s show was brought to you by prize piix and a priz pi you turn $10 into $1,000 in a single game when watching your favorite sports this summer you can make a lineup of prize picks in it’s little 60 seconds which is huge if you’re busy like I happen to be throughout the summer really all year long all you have to do is pick more or pick less than two six players St projections and you are locked in with price piix America’s number one fantasy sports app they have over five million active members get on the daily action right now with your friends and become part of the priz community right now basketball means more priz of the star players you get boosted payoffs to select basketball Stars want to find anywhere else even with the NBA season now over the Hoops action does not stop on price picks women’s basketball stuff WNBA Etc is getting started and that means stars like clay Caitlyn Clark and Angel ree winning up to 100 times the cash on watching them ball out Prix is the best way to get on the action in more Sports and honestly across more than 30 states in the country and that includes California Texas Georgia Etc and they have quick withdrawals a price pict download the price app right now today and use promo code locked on NBA for First on deposit match up to $100 one more time download the app use promo code locked on NBA when you get there for first time deposit match right now with the folks at priz piix pick more pick less it’s that easy with prospects yeah there’s this interesting philosophical discussion um especially with regards to you know sometimes I’ll refer to like the Hawks trying to win and I mean that more as a they’re not in a full rebuild more than anything else like I contrasted them with the Wizards in particular like you know U you know whoever else you want to throw out there maybe the Spurs are a little bit different now because they have W but the Wizards are the direct contrast the wizard picking second they’re clearly not in win now mode at all they’re they’re in asset accumulation mode and when I say the hwks are trying to win now I don’t mean that they’re one player away from winning the championship or even being a contender next year what I mean is I think they might I’m not saying this is correct I think they might value ability to help more sooner than maybe I would at this point in time for instance like it’s I think some of some some of the clingin buzz I think emanates from they might believe that he could help them pretty soon and I think that might be true but how much you value that is Up For Debate and also you know I’ve said this before but SAR is not like the easiest plug-and-play fit with the Hawks personnel and I don’t really mean the centers necessarily like it’s I think people got kind of got that confused because I’m kind of the known Clint capella advocate for one thing thing I’m not saying you can’t like capella is not as much as I love him is not like a huge part of the plan moving forward very obviously if you want to consider a Kongo I get that they do consider Jaylen flat out like that’s as they should he’s a piece of them yeah I think for me it’s it’s Trey Jaylen and then you figure out the rest um that that’s my opinion but um yeah I’m glad you brought it up early in this discussion because there is that thought about SAR where if he’s not a clear guy like if he’s in a tier I could see not preferring him in Atlanta because of the potential fit questions especially like I want to ask you this do you view him as a center Long Term like how much does that matter to you because if he’s more of a four it gets a little bit trickier I think potentially whereas if you view him and look as a rookie it’s he gonna be able to Anchor your defense as a center I kind of don’t think so rebound all those things nobody except for the two that didn’t I was I was gonna say though but you know you’re you just said the same thing and I’ll say it again you’re not drafting for his rookie season so it’s like what do you think he going to be in three years and uh what do you make of that like it doesn’t even matter to you positionally what he actually is I see him as a center down the line absolutely I mean he’s a seven he’s a legit seven-footer with Center size and I think while maybe he has some of the the available ball handling and potential shooting skills to play the four I think those are much more deadly at the five where the level of mobility and skill of the average perimeter Defender you’re going to be facing as a center are much lower than at the four or as a wing and I think SAR like assuming he can bulk up which a lot of young players do right like this isn’t I don’t it has to happen it’s not guaranteed but I don’t think it’s a crazy ask that SAR while probably most comfortable on the perimeter now and I think you can be at five and be more perimeter oriented we we see that in the league but defensively he is going to be best at the center I think most weaponized when he can guard literally every single pick and roll coverage after hopefully learning technique and all that stuff he has the tools and the flashes to do everything you want your five your modern five to do and I think that’s his best position long term maybe not early in his like we said not his rookie year but longterm I think SAR like maybe you can like like a power four Wing but I think sar’s ultimate ceiling will come as a center a center however you want to right and it you know you could kind of debate later on like who he plays with in the front Court what you would want next to him and we’ll save some of that because we can talk about him forever um I’ve said this a couple times but I I I have had S as my number one guy on my board kind of like even just non Hawks like I mean Big Board generally speaking I think I still do um I I certainly understand there is Nuance in what team by team might say and I think just from what you just said I don’t think I have him differentiated from the pack as much as you might um non- Holland division like I think honestly and this is not a popular answer but I I’m kind of just unmoved by all of these guys maybe it’s maybe it’s like I think that’s totally totally fair I mean and maybe it’s this part of the Cy draft like it’s not and at the top and maybe it’s this just the this part of the cycle where we’re all kind of just tired of everyone you know that’s kind of the nature of the beast when people that do this all the time um but I because you just you kind of gave the the pitch for saw I think that it makes a lot of sense especially defensively I agree with you that for that’s what actually does excite me is his defensive potential I will certainly raise my head and say that does excite me literally um offens offensively I’m a little I’m a little less excited I gotta say so um is that fair and how like what happens if it fails like what where would it go wrong if let’s just say the Hawks draft alexr in in six days as we’re recording this podcast and it doesn’t work I think it’s be on offense if it doesn’t work but where do you see it breaking down and like why would it not work if it doesn’t I think it’s totally fair to be skeptical of his offense even though I have SAR as like I mean SAR and Ron one one one one a 1B and then a big gap between those I like I I don’t think it’s crazy to be lowerer on SAR like it’s not like if we’re you know if you’re like super low on Zion or like WB I’m like you’re nuts yeah that’s kind of what I’m saying too like I think aive almost painted me as being like super low on him and I’m not super low on him it’s just that I don’t have them like in this very theoretical right in that most of it is flashes based and there were moments in games where he put it all together and it looked absurd but I think the main way that it fails is he ends up as a bad kind of tweener where he doesn’t put on the kind of size and physicality to exist as a five and doesn’t become a good enough shooter to yeah exist as a perimeter as a wingy type player I would bet on one of those things happening because I think either way that’s a path to offensive success and offensive value I doubt SAR is ever going to be a star level offensive player regardless even at his ceiling but I do think the the concern that he’s just like not viable as a play finisher because that’s what he’s going to be um though I think sar’s most interesting stuff long term is his creation potential is what he can do with the ball in his hands at least early in his career he’s going to be a play finisher and I do think the the idea is that in Atlanta he’s going to have a better chance to do that than he has anywhere else I a little while back I tracked all of sar’s halfcourt Rim attempts and the numbers were not great but I will say 20 for 21 on on on open shots and that’s like not less significantly less like less than half of his attempts were were were at least one defender in the vicinity and I would imagine that goes well up playing with Trey and the HW and his touch is pretty interesting like he I think most of his layup issues are strength related at this point and explosion rather than touch I think his touch is honestly pretty nice and he could hit some tough fites and and hooks and stuff um but yeah his his like bump ability to take contact with his chest and not get moved backwards and move guys backwards isn’t great but yeah I think improving that balance and the strength like it’s it’s rarely as simple as like get strong be good but but no it’s actually you brought this up earlier I almost asked you in in the moment I’ll just do it now the like there’s this conception of SAR that I’ve read in comments and even some articles and things about how he’s this like super explosive vertical athlete and I don’t really see that no not he’s not he’s not a bad athlete but like there’s this thing I think people have maybe seeing highlight whatever highlight you want to say but like you know he’s not a pick and roll like lob finisher type right now his athletic gifts are predicated on fluidity ground coverage Mobility speed more in the horizontal plane where he can overwhelm other bigger players and has the size to overwhelm smaller players as well but in the vertical plane right as as a leaper like there are moments where he’ll like really get up and explode quickly in traffic for a dunk I think there’s flashes of it he’s not like a hopeless vertical athlete no but he isn’t living Above the Rim right he does take a lot of stuff and and I think maybe the most concerning aspect to me is some of the wiring mentality stuff where sometimes I feel like he could impose himself physically and doesn’t but that’s a very that’s also it’s common but it’s hard to really Parts like that was a big issue Jaylen Johnson had coming out which I think he’s which I think he’s working progressing well towards remedying I don’t know if you’d agree with that I I think no no he he is and look it could also be age related you know not everybody you know you’re the other guy who we probably not do a ton on Ron Holland is like this Maniac by all accounts in a good way oh yeah he’s a psycho but Alex SAR is you know I’m not saying he’s not like you know RI we we joke Ricky and I speaking of Ricky from the last show Ricky kind of threw out the soft thing and not not in a like makeup way just the way he plays right now he’s kind of he kind of floats sometimes he’s not like the most imposing yeah guy and he’s 19 years old like he’s a finesse a finesse big at the moment he is and honestly there’s this I’m not even sure it’s a rumor there’s there’s been Rumblings like does he even want to play center like and there’s this now there’s this back and forth about how maybe he doesn’t want to come to Atlanta and maybe you know there’s I’m not saying that that’s gonna be out but he has he hasn’t worked out for the Hawks as you and I recorded he’s not worked out for the Hawks and I I’ve heard from people and look it’s not like ever been definitive but it’s like he doesn’t view himself as a big necessarily I think he thinks he’s GNA be one of those perimeter guys and look a lot of guys are wired that way and then they kind of maybe get forced into being more Center as they go or maybe the light comes on at some point so I’m not saying it can’t happen it’s just um that’s one of those questions that we really especially on the outside we can’t ask that we have no idea it’s hard it’s hard when that’s like my biggest macro concern with him is will he flip the switch and be more physical because he can be really imposing at times it’s not like he’s definitely physically limited but compared to the average 19yearold I don’t think he’s far I think he’s probably above average in terms of the physicality athleticism stuff like again he’s better than most of his age group he was just he just happened to be playing in a pretty good proleague um which certain and by the way a very a very physical pro league like the NBL is not a athletic league but they are really physical with like a bunch of Grownups in that leag right a bunch of like strong stocky shorter bigs which are famously terrible matchups for this archetype of like young future star really lanky deer and headlights type and I do think that that definitely worked against SAR where some people are pricing it into his evaluation like that’s an optimistic lens for me whereas like I don’t know it’s it’s just easier sometimes to be finesse and like that in like college basketball for example yeah or even in the g- league where there’s a lot of young players but in like a league like the NBL like you not maybe as skilled or talented or athletic top to bottom but there are some really good players in that league and we’ve seen NBA players come out of that over the last couple years so I I think the the level of competition preparing him for the NBA is something that I think is never discussed enough with these non NCAA guys how big of a difference to jump and SAR SAR went from playing overtime Elite which no slight to OT but it’s like high schoolers basically it is high scho yeah it’s like it’s like a kind of but like a little worse I would say a good amount worse competition but like it’s High School aged kids mostly going straight from that obviously he he was dominant in like the youth the French youth tournaments um playing his own age group or a little older and then he goes to playing grown men every day and that’s a huge jump that takes time to adjust to and not a lot of teenagers are built for understandably that’s a lot to take on and I do think well again it’s not a given that SAR is going to fix this stuff I think it’s a good bet to say he has all these skills and talents and tools and he’s like if he can do this thing that so many young players have done in the past then he’s going to be damn good today’s show is brought to you by LinkedIn jobs when you’re hiring for a small business you want to find quality professionals that are right for the roles you have available and that’s why LinkedIn jobs is a place that you 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within 24 hours with with LinkedIn jobs they help you find the ways to make the process easier and two and a half million small businesses are used LinkedIn jobs for hiring purposes post your job right now for free by going to linkedin.com Lockton NBA one more time that is linkedin.com lockon MBA trans apply I want to move off of SAR and get into other guys or El we can go forever on on SAR so let’s let’s go to ruche real quick or not real quick but we want to do here uh I I got a DM from someone I’m not trying to program the show based on what I hear from people but they’re like why are you talking about re shap more and it’s like well it’s fair that I probably had done that enough Big Time Brad you well it is what it is but um and I tried with Ricky this week I tried with Sam so I’m trying to do a little bit more of that because look he’s very much in play whether I think he should be or not that’s another discussion the Hawks are considering him at the very top of the draft um and I I I find that people like you people like that I trust that do this stuff a lot there’s a big split on Ray like people that have him in that one two three range and people that have him nobody has him super duper low but it’s like he’s kind of maybe more meh for some people like maybe mid- Lottery kind of thing where do you fall on I think not OB not at the top because you would have named him already but what do you make of the ret experience given that he worked out in Atlanta on Wednesday and he’s very much in play yeah I I certainly land in the camp of don’t particularly view reare as a top three pick in this draft largely because of the ceiling and the special traits it’s hard for me to justify even in a weaker draft taking guys without special Elite traits in in the top and I think that’s where we land with ree sh where I think in like the late mid lottery I think it’s totally fine I I have him you know probably like like tennis range on my board where I think that’s a totally acceptable range but I understand the broader thinking right that the Hawks are a win now team and Rea share would be able to contribute right away you don’t need to like game plan or really do much to to get him going right he’s a very very traditional three and D type Wing which is an archetype that I think has been overrated for kind of a long time um in terms of like stealing especially like three and D Wings do what they do but there’s a limit especially in the postseason these lower skill lower athletic lower defensive 3 Indy Wings where I just don’t think as valuable as some people tend to give them credit for unless they’re really special and I’m not sure Reesa share is and his handle to me his his his burst his ability to create Separation on the ball pretty much non-existent he doesn’t really pass the ball much at all he’s not like a bad passer he can make extra passes and simple connective reads but he’s never really making any highlevel quality reads and then athletically while he’s pretty solid like you’ll see his his highlights littered with big transition dunks in in traffic and against contact like he is super frail he is really really physically behind and just like we talked about with SAR this is a normal thing for teenagers I think rear is like on the lower end for his age group as well in terms of athletic and physicality stuff where he just really struggles to create separation and is not explosive and the strength shows up where he excels athletically though is his agility and his Bend and I think that shows up especially on defense where he is legit awesome screen Navigator point of attack Defender against like wings down I think that’s if there’s a special quote unquote special Elite trait with reare that’s it his ability to stick Like Glue and Trail around screens both off the ball he a chaser and on the ball guarding screens he’s got great lateral quickness he’s tall and long and not not long really he’s tall and linky and I mean he’s he’s still long for like if he’s not playing the four he’s still got good it’s to to I think the reason why you said that just for people that don’t know his wings is only like 69 and a half 610 which is not very big for guy his height but if he was yeah I mean if if he’s playing small forward it’s totally fine it’s just I kind of see him as like a pure three is the thing I don’t think his I don’t think he has much versatility on either end we’re like he does what he does really well and that’s kind of it he’s not going to protect the rim he’s not going to give you a ton of like defensive playmaking value he’s not really going to scor for you he’s not going to be a an interior guy on on offense and kind of as we preface with the star conversation the Hawks the Hawks are not a Rea share away from competing they’re they’re just not it’s not like there there there are there are hypothetical teams you could construct where you plop in a three and Wing like Rea Shar and within a year or two you’re winning a title that’s not the Hawks and I think it’s drafting research share and clinging to the same extent but I think it’s you know we’ll talk about clinging at some point is a little myopic for my tastes on the the the Uber short term and Maxim you know making the playoffs next year when the the more valuable assuming we’re looking at it through the lens of winning a title which of course we know that GMS and owners have other motives it’s not always that yeah right it’s not just like that you know obviously a lot of great GMS do you know like that’s their primary motive is let’s make moves to win a title whereas a lot of team I’m not saying the Hawks are like this but are like let’s make moves to make us a playoff team or to make us good enough or to make us competitive right now and I think those picks reesea share cling in any other like win now type that’s to me what that signals which ultimately doesn’t align with the My Philosophy and you know guys like Ricky and a bunch of other draft people who don’t have monetary stigs in this you know right it is definitely easier and I’m go see this too like I I especially number one like it is a different conversation and this draft is a hard one for that because a lot of people don’t they just don’t have a number one overall pick great on anybody and I’m one of those people I don’t think any of these guys are a traditional but but even more at least withar like we just kind of made the case we we have to do it again but you can kind of see outcomes that resemble the number one overall pick with alexar it’s not hard to see if he gets there um yeah imagine how he’s great right particularly with Reay I think even more so than kingan um I I struggled to see because at least with kingan I think you could make the argument when we’ll get there in a second that kingan actually might be like legitimately really good pretty soon like yeah I I don’t really see re sh being that good I mean because most look most this is one of my bits but most rookies are not good they’re just not uh and he I don’t think that even you know his traits are special enough to your what you just laid out what I’m testing out a theory I’m GNA run it by you right now about R I think you have to think at least one of these two things about Ray to have him in even in the mix number one overall you have to think that he is a a really really high level shooter which people some people do think that if you think he’s a great shooter I understand it a lot more that’s one that’s one path the second path is the defensive path which I agree with you I think I like the way he defends in a lot of different ways but I think you have to think that he’s like a really really really high level Defender to like one of those two paths you got to be sold on I think I’m not sold on either one of those paths personally which is why I can’t put him that high does that make sense as like a concept I know it’s it’s intentionally broad but like the one that we share if you’re not as enamored with ceiling I think as maybe like I don’t want to say as you should be that’s just like my opin you know my personal view of view of draft philosophy and the best way to build a championship team where with like the number one pick I think even though this is a bad draft and this is not a great like it’s true does that doesn’t mean there aren’t good players and interesting upside swings it’s just that the upside swings this year come with more risk than usual right like when like like the the risk associated with a guy like wemi was just like basically zero or same with you know injuries with a guy like Zion or right even like I think like Kade and I believe in like a scoot or a poo like there’s there’s obvious upside but the risk is is pretty low and then with guys like SAR or Holland or like ker or topich or Billingham or whoever I really like I think there are still these really highend outcomes where they can be impactful Star level or Fringe Star level guys but maybe just with a little more risk associated yeah the floor the the floor is a lot lower than like as you name those guys that’s that’s really what it comes down to like I think that does that won’t change my personal philosophy as the team picking number one I think that doesn’t deter me as much as maybe some people were like again hopefully in an Ideal World right you trust your coaches and your Player Development staff and your guys I guess if you if you know if you’re a self-aware GM that’s like my coaches or my staff sucks and I can’t take a developmental guy because they’re not GNA develop then I guess it’s the smart thing to not do that but once again we have the privilege and the constraint of operating in a vacuum right and yeah easier on the outside assuming you trust your guys which hopefully you do I think it still makes sense to say like okay yeah see the flaws but I trust our guys to help SAR learn how to shoot and get more physical and accustom to the NBA I trust Trey to help him learn how to space and move on offense versus like yeah recent sh is goingon to be [Music] solid okay that is all with part one of this two-part conversation that I had with Ben Fifer about the NBA draft part two should be available in your favorite podcast feed right now whether it’s apple or Spotify or overcast or YouTube it should be there and if it’s not uh let me know that but it should should be there right now as you’re listening to this so go ahead and flip on over to part two please subscribe to the podcast as well tell a friend about the show follow us on social media patreon.com BTR rolling all that fun stuff buckle up part two is coming back and stay tuned we’ll see you all next time

Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) hosts episode No. 1744 of the Locked on Hawks podcast, and he is joined by Ben Pfeifer (@bjpf_) for Part 1 of a 2-part discussion. The discussion focuses on the Atlanta Hawks and the 2024 NBA Draft with less than one week to go, including Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, Ron Holland, Donovan Clingan, trade-down candidates, Ben’s favorite prospects, and much more.

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