Stop Blaming Draft Picks For Hawks’ Unsolved Center Depth Crisis

The Atlanta Hawks moved aggressively this offseason to patch up the roster holes they couldn't ignore. They drafted Kingston Flemings and Henri Veesaar to inject fresh talent, and they traded for Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Ryan Nembhard to tighten the second unit. CJ McCollum and Jock Landale are back in the fold, with McCollum moving into the starting lineup. Yet, despite all that activity, one massive issue remains unsolved heading into the season. The team still lacks a reliable backup center behind Onyeka Okongwu.

Size was the killer when the Hawks faced the New York Knicks in the postseason. According to Sports Illustrated, observers immediately questioned how Atlanta would handle the sheer size of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson playing together. The answer came out clear: they couldn't. The matchup against Towns and Robinson turned into the biggest mismatch of the entire series. Robinson absolutely dominated the Hawks' second unit with ease, scoring points and grabbing rebounds while Atlanta had no real answer. This happened because the team simply didn't have a true option behind Okongwu at the center spot.

The Knicks Exposed a Fatal Flaw