The Hawks need only look at their history — nine years ago — for precedent that the No. 17 pick in the NBA draft can produce a quality player.
The Josh Smith selection worked out pretty well. He ranks in the top 10 in most of the franchise’s statistical categories, including games played, points and rebounds.
The Hawks have the Nos. 17 and 18 picks in Thursday’s draft and may need to replace Smith, should the unrestricted free agent sign with another team. What kind of players the Hawks draft in the first round, as always, may not be known for some time.
“I think this draft has good players in it, players who can be contributors, and we are studying all of them very closely,” general manager Danny Ferry said. “Every day, film, draft workouts, interviews, the year and body of work that our scouts put in behind it as well. I’m confident that after this draft, in some shape or form, we’ll be in a better position.”
There is plenty of other evidence that a quality player can be selected from the middle to the late first round. The Pacers’ All-Star trio of Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert and David West all were taken 17th or 18th.
There have been misses at those spots, too. Shawne Williams and Sean Williams were taken 17th in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Each had multiple arrests and played for several teams, appearing in less than 220 NBA games. Zarko Cabarkapa, the 17th pick in 2003, played just 150 injury-plagued NBA games.
The Hawks have had two first-round picks five other times since 1991. The most recent, in 2007, yielded Al Horford at No. 3 and Acie Law at No. 11. Smith was the second of the Hawks’ first-round picks in 2004, with Josh Childress taken at No. 6.
With only three players holding guaranteed contracts for next season, the Hawks have plenty of needs in building a roster through the draft and free agency. Center and shooting guard currently are the biggest holes to fill. According to Ferry, all the needs will be addressed in time. The draft is the first step.
“In every draft there are good players,” Ferry said. “People want to analyze drafts up and down, but if you analyze drafts overall, how drafts have been through the years, there are multiple, multiple players who end up having good, long NBA careers, some of them at a very strong level, some of them as role players.
“Obviously at 17 and 18 we don’t know what is going to be there, but I’m confident that we are going to get players in that position that can be NBA players for us going forward.”
The Hawks also have two second-round picks, Nos. 47 and 50 overall.
Ferry and his staff will enter Thursday with a draft plan, an order of how they think the draft will unfold and who might be available to them. There likely will be trades, and the Hawks could be one of the participants, and surprises that will scramble even the best-laid plans. Ferry described draft night as fun.
“You are curious to see, as the draft night unfolds, the decisions that other teams make and how that affects the chain and then ultimately what is available for you,” Ferry said.
