Who will the Hawks take at number 1?

Now let’s move on to Sarr. Most basketball experts had Sarr pegged as the No. 1 pick before his workouts with multiple NBA teams. But once it appeared Sarr was avoiding a workout with Atlanta, which Hawks general manager Landry Fields confirmed on Sports Radio 92.9 The Game, it became clear Sarr didn’t want Atlanta, and very potentially vice versa.

It would certainly be interesting if Sarr preferred to play for the Washington Wizards, who have struggled exponentially more than the Hawks over the past decade and also don’t possess one of the league’s best point guards like do the Hawks with Trae Young (and even Dejounte Murray for that matter).

There has been speculation that Sarr’s agent doesn’t want him in Atlanta – which has been fueled in part by the fact that his agent represents Mavericks superstar guard Luka Dončić, who was recruited by the Hawks and traded to the Mavericks for Trae Young.

Anyway, let’s dive into Sarr.

Benefits: Let’s start with the obvious. He’s a 7-foot-1, 224-pound athletic monster who can defend guys on the wing and can also be a rim protector inside the paint. Offensively, he can post up, shoot the three, drive into the lane and use his length to beat defenders. He thrives on getting the ball out of the perimeter and attacking off the dribble.

Sarr’s wingspan is monstrous, at 7 feet 4 inches. His numbers were a bit disappointing for a player of his size and skill (9.6 PPG, 4.5 REB, 1.5 BLK, 1 APG in the Australian professional league), but let’s not forget that he didn’t I’m only 19 years old. The Ringer described Sarr best: “A skyscraper wing trapped in a center’s body…” Sarr has been compared by The Ringer to Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton (and former UGA).

Sarr is very familiar with Atlanta, having played two seasons with the Overtime Elite prep league, most recently in the 2022-23 season.

The inconvenients: There aren’t many things to stand out about Sarr’s game, but the one negative is something that really holds him back from going from a great player to an elite NBA star. He makes a lot of jump shots, but he doesn’t make many attempts. He shot just 29.8% from 3-point land on just over three attempts per game, and shot 71% from the free throw line. These numbers are similar to his Elite overtime stats, where he averaged 11.1 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Verdict: If I’m the Hawks, I don’t care what Sarr insinuated into his pre-draft process. He has already stated that he will play for whichever team drafts him. He is by far the most intriguing prospect in this draft class. Now, his antics and drama may turn off some, but the bottom line is that a No. 1 pick rarely comes along (never before for Atlanta in the lottery era, as mentioned above), and you have to pick the best player. available. Sarr is my choice.