Atlanta gets two five-star prospects in loaded draft class

The Atlanta Hawks got very lucky in last season’s draft. They entered the draft lottery with just a 3% chance of getting the first pick, but ended up moving up from 10th to first. They may need similar luck if they want to land a first-round pick next year.

Next year’s draft will be interesting for the Hawks in a few ways. First, they don’t have control over their own pick. They owe that pick to San Antonio as part of the Dejounte Murray trade with San Antonio. Atlanta is also in a bit of an odd spot in the Eastern Conference. They’re not as good as some of the top teams in the East, but they’re much better than the teams at the bottom of the bracket (Washington, Detroit, Brooklyn, Charlotte and Chicago). That leaves them in play-in tournament territory, where they’ve been for the past few seasons, except for last year.

The Hawks could have as many as two picks in what is expected to be a loaded draft class. Atlanta got an unprotected pick from the Lakers in 2025 in the Dejounte Murray trade with New Orleans and they could have the Kings’ first-round pick if they don’t go 1-12. While I don’t think the Lakers’ pick will be in the top five, if Atlanta could get lucky and make them miss the playoffs (which isn’t impossible in the West), they could hope to have better luck in the lottery.

There haven’t been many 2025 mock drafts (it’s still very early), but the one published today by Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman has the Hawks at the 13th (Lakers) and 15th (Kings) picks in this draft. Wasserman has the Hawks at the 13th pick, UConn five-star freshman Liam McNeeley, and at the 15th pick, Syracuse five-star freshman Donovan Freeman.

“The Atlanta Hawks got a 2025 first-round pick by sending Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans. After winning the 2024 draft lottery, the Hawks are expecting a down year for the Los Angeles Lakers, whose pick now goes to Atlanta.

Liam McNeeley comes to Connecticut with a game that is attractive to NBA teams. UConn is looking to optimize his shooting, scoring and IQ.

A strong supporting cast should help McNeeley have a solid season with a complementary and easy-to-integrate skill set. He seems poised to finish with a solid three-point percentage, low turnover rate and a compelling series of smart passes and drives.

Just being part of the Bahamas national team for Olympic qualifying should have been a valuable experience for Donnie Freeman.

He’s still raw, but the 18-year-old has an interesting skill set for a power forward prospect. He’s become a versatile scorer who can score baskets in a variety of ways: hitting three-pointers and slam dunks, attacking corners and using his touch around the post.

Further improvement in shooting next season should lead to some NBA interest in Syracuse. The very idea of ​​a 6-foot-10 weapon should keep scouts patient with any inconsistencies.

Here are the scouting reports on McNeeley and Freeman from 247Sports scouting director Adam Finklestein:

“Liam McNeeley has one of the best combinations of skill and basketball sense in the national class. He came up through the ranks known as a shooter — and for good reason as he has clean mechanics, a compact release and shot over 40 percent from behind the three-point line in both the NIBC and EYBL seasons — but he is much more versatile than just a specialist. He is particularly adept at coming off screens, making instinctive reads and then attacking defenders while they are in motion. That can mean three-point moves, but it can also mean curls, dribble penetration and an ability to get downhill at times. McNeeley has a high natural feel for the game and is a good passer who can also make things easier for others around him. In fact, Montverde often made him the star player in their half-court offense during his junior season and relied on his ability to make decisions with the ball in his hands, not necessarily in the as their primary ball-handler, but as the first domino in many of their plays. Physically, he’s not particularly big or athletic, but he has legitimate 6-foot-plus height with his shoes on, a solid base, and an increasingly strong and cut upper body. He’s made strides in being able to stay in front of more athletic wings on defense, largely because he’s aware enough to be in the right spots and take the right angles. Overall, McNeeley may not have the ideal physical measurements of a prototypical five-star prospect, but he’s one of the most productive and reliable basketball players in the class.

There aren’t many naturally talented foursomes in the 2024 national class than Freeman. He has a wealth of tools with good size, soft hands, touch, mobility and athleticism, which give him the potential to be a versatile two-way player. Those gifts made him a top prospect early in his high school years, but he’s just starting to turn that potential into production on a more consistent basis. He’s still fairly underdeveloped physically with a thinner base in his lower body and an upper body that has yet to take shape. He’ll need to add a significant amount of muscle mass in the coming years, but if he can do that while maintaining his ability to run and jump with the same fluidity and agility, there’s a clear physical upside. Offensively, he’s showing flashes of being a true three-range weapon. He’s already a bouncy finisher around the rim who’s a shooting threat from the arc, and likes to elevate over opposing defenders in both the mid-post and mid-range areas. He’s not a great rebounder yet, can get overwhelmed, and can lose ground at times. Defensively, he can both move laterally and get up to block shots, and that versatility should only continue to grow as he gets stronger. He’s a solid rebounder, but he could be more assertive in that area. Overall, Freeman has all the tools a developing four-man could want, it’s just a matter of getting stronger physically, making sure the engine is always running at full speed, and continuing to increase the total impact he has on both ends of the floor.”

Most of the focus will be on the fact that Atlanta doesn’t have its own pick, but they could still have valuable picks depending on how the Kings and Lakers’ seasons play out.