The Atlanta Hawks showed they’re all-in on Jalen Johnson after trading Trae Young at the trade deadline, and are ready to build around him. They have a good young core already, but they need a true superstar to pair with Johnson.
In the latest NBA Mock Draft by Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, they find their answer in drafting Duke University’s Cameron Boozer. They’d have to trade up to the third pick, but it would well be worth it in the end.
“With Dybantsa and Peterson off the board, the Hawks could pause long enough to perhaps overthink some fit concerns with Boozer. There’d be a lot of overlap with ascending All-Star Jalen Johnson, but maybe the two in tandem would cut down on what each could provide as a jumbo playmaker. Then again, part of the reason there would be so much overlap is that their skill sets cover so much ground. That should be an absurd amount of rebounding, scoring and playmaking from the forward spots. As long as Atlanta aces its handling of the complementary pieces around that twosome, it could be a dangerous duo much sooner rather than later,” Buckley wrote.
This past season with the Blue Devils, Boozer averaged 22.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 33.2 minutes per game. He’s also a playoff performer, helping Duke win the ACC Tournament, and leading them all the way to the Elite Eight where they lost on a buzzer beater to UConn.
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Boozer is a bit undersized for his position, but having two forwards that are within an inch of each other with almost identical skillsets would be insane; The Boston Celtics proved it can work with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Hawks already have a solid young core, and adding Boozer would definitely give them a roster to truly fear as early as next season.
Hopefully, the Hawks find a way to trade up. This could really jumpstart the post-Trae Young era of Atlanta basketball, and make them a real contender in the East.
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