The Hawks need to do something. According to both their president of basketball operations and their principal owner, they should have done it sooner. In-house, their corporate decision to stick with a roster that fell two games short of the NBA Finals has been labeled a mistake, though at the time it seemed prudent. Why change what had just begun to work?
Last year’s draft marked the first since 2017 in which the Hawks picked outside the lottery. They spent the 20th pick on Jalen Johnson, a one-and-done at Duke. He split his rookie season between the Hawks’ bench and the G League.
The Hawks got lucky with John Collins, whom Travis Schlenk, at No. 19, made his first pick. Over five seasons, Collins has averaged 16.5 points and 8.3 rebounds. For years, though, he has been tabbed as the Hawk most apt to be traded. This team might soon need to give Johnson a look at power forward.
