Atlanta Hawks: 5 Best/Worst Draft Picks In Team History
The Atlanta Hawks, like pretty much every team in the league, have a mixed bag in terms of success in the NBA draft throughout their team history. Unfortunately for the Hawks, they join the Phoenix Suns in sharing in some truly bad decisions and missed opportunities that could have granted them more than their lone 1958 title. Here’s a look at the five best and worst draft picks in Atlanta Hawks’ team history.
Best Honorable Mentions:
Tom Henderson: Seventh pick in the 1974 NBA Draft, productive nine-year career, eventual champion with the Washington Bullets, reached the Finals three times, double-digit scoring with the Hawks for a few seasons.
Jeff Teague: 19th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, starting to improve, coming off a career best season with averages of 14.6 points and 7.2 assists per game.
Zelmo Beaty: Third pick in the 1962 NBA Draft, made the inaugural 1963 NBA All-Rookie Team, averaged 17.3 points and 11.2 rebounds per game in seven seasons with the Hawks.
Al Horford: Third pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, career averages of 13.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, developed a deadly outside jump shot and still improving.
Jason Terry: 10th pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, emerged as the team’s best player his second season and averaged 19.7 points per game while leading the Hawks in steals and assists, traded to the Mavericks before the 2004-05 season.
Josh Smith: 17th pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, often considered Atlanta’s best overall current player, career averages of 15.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.
Kevin Willis: 11th pick of the 1984 NBA Draft, brought fierce rebounding to Dominique Wilkins‘ Hawks teams, 1992 NBA All Star, averaged 14.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in nine seasons with Atlanta.
Best 5 Picks:
5) Pete Maravich – Pistol Pete is known as one of the league’s legends. His insane dribbling skills, ahead-of-his-time court vision and passing and his all-around ability to amaze made him a crucial addition to the NBA when he finally joined the Atlanta Hawks in 1970 as the third overall pick. He was a visionary player, draining long-distance shots before there were even 3-pointers, leading dazzling fast breaks and making impossible shots that made him the kind of guy you had to watch without blinking for fear of missing something. Pistol Pete unfortunately missed out on playing with Julius Erving in his prime (because the courts blocked the move and forced Dr. J to play another season with the ABA’s Virginia Squires), which may have even led that Hawks team a title or two. That’s not even a stretch, because that 46-win 1973 Hawks team already had Maravich, Lou Hudson AND Walt Bellamy. Alas, we’ll just have to remember the Pistol for his insanely entertaining four seasons in Atlanta, during which he averaged 24.1 points, 5.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game.
4) John Drew – Drew was taken by the Hawks as the seventh pick in the 1974 NBA Draft and made the All-Rookie Team with 18.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. He averaged a very impressive 21.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in eight seasons with the Hawks, even though his rebounding began to seriously deteriorate down the stretch of his career. He was the Hawks’ primary star and a two-time All Star, but was held back by a cocaine addiction that eventually ended his career when he became the first player to be banned from the NBA for life under its drug policy. Unfortunately for Drew, he also joins Jason Kidd in holding the record for most turnovers in a single game (14). However, in his prime, Drew was an offensive force for the Hawks and one draft pick that definitely panned out.
3) Lenny Wilkens – Wilkens was taken sixth overall in the 1960 NBA Draft and in the process, the Hawks gained an eventual Hall of Fame player and coach. Wilkens consistently led his team to the playoffs, although they never could quite make the Finals. Just for reference in case you’ve never heard of Wilkens: He finished second to Wilt Chamberlain in MVP voting for the 1967-68 season, his last in St. Louis. He averaged 15.7 points, 5.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds in his eight seasons with the Hawks and 16.5 points, 6.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds for his career. Wilkens was a nine-time All Star and ran his team’s offense efficiently.
2) Lou Hudson – Aside from having an awesome nickname for his smooth jump shot, “Sweet Lou” was part of a one-two punch with Pistol Pete Maravich that made the Hawks a dynamic and fun to watch team. Sweet Lou was the fourth pick of the 1966 NBA Draft and was named to the All-Rookie Team after averaging 18.4 points per game in his first season. Hudson’s 6’5″ frame meant he could play at the guard and forward position and he was a six-time All Star who eventually had his jersey retired by the Hawks (along with only Dominique Wilkins and Bob Pettit). He was a dynamic scorer, averaging 22.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in his 11 seasons with the Hawks, which saw the franchise move from St. Louis to Atlanta.
1) Bob Pettit – And finally, we have Bob Pettit, who is widely considered one of the top 20 players to ever play in the NBA. Pettit was the MVP winner in 1956 and 1959, he was the Rookie of the Year in 1955, led the league in scoring twice, led the league in rebounding once, averaged 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds per game in his career and led the Hawks to their lone championship and three other Finals appearances. What more could you want out of the No. 1 spot? He was a relentless big man who banged in the paint and played physically to lead his team. He only missed eight games in his career, averaged a staggering 25.5 points, 14.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in 88 playoff games and rightfully has a bone to pick with anyone who considers Dominique Wilkins to be the greatest player in Hawks’ history. The best Pettit story? His relentless Game 6 in the 1958 NBA Finals, a rematch from the year before against Bill Russell‘s Boston Celtics. In that deciding game, Pettit got revenge on a hobbled Russell with 50 points, including 18 of his team’s last 21 points. Only Pettit and Wilt Chamberlain proved capable of toppling Russell’s Celtics, which is why Bob Pettit is easily the best draft decision the Hawks have ever made.
Worst Honorable Mentions:
Alan Henderson: 16th pick of 1995 NBA Draft, picked ahead of Theo Ratliff and Michael Finley. He did win the Most Improved Player Award in 1997-98 season but was traded with Jason Terry in 2004.
Doug Edwards: 15th pick of 1993 NBA Draft, picked ahead of Sam Cassell and Nick Van Exel, only played in three NBA seasons (two with Hawks, one with Vancouver Grizzlies), averaged 2.4 points per game and later earned the nickname “Doughboy” in Vancouver for being so soft.
Rumeal Robinson: 10th pick of the 1990 NBA Draft, picked ahead of Tyrone Hill, Jayson Williams, Toni Kukoc, Antonio Davis and Cedric Ceballos, played only six seasons in the NBA (two with the Hawks) and is currently serving a prison sentence for bank fraud.
Keith Edmonson: 10th pick in the 1982 NBA Draft, picked ahead of Fat Lever, Eric “Sleepy” Floyd and Ricky Pierce, played only 87 games in his NBA career with Atlanta, Denver and San Antonio, and averaged only six points per game. However, the Hawks got Dominique Wilkins in a trade that year so it actually turned out okay.
Adam Keefe: 10th pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, picked ahead of Robert Horry, Malik Sealy, Doug Christie and Latrell Sprewell, spent two of his nine NBA years in Atlanta and averaged 4.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game over his career.
Al Wood: Fourth pick in the 1981 NBA Draft, picked ahead of Steve Johnson, Tom Chambers, Rolando Blackman, Kelly Tripucka, Larry Nance and Danny Ainge, played six seasons in the NBA (just one season with the Hawks, didn’t even break double digits in points per game) and played for four different teams.
Acie Law: 11th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, picked ahead of Thaddeus Young, Rodney Stuckey, Marco Belinelli, Jared Dudley, Wilson Chandler, Arron Afflalo, Tiago Splitter, Carl Landry, Glen Davis and Marc Gasol, averaged 4.2 points and 2 rebounds per game in his rookie season and was traded after just two years in Atlanta.
Dick Ricketts: First pick of the 1955 NBA Draft, picked ahead of future Hall of Famers Maurice Stokes, Jack Twyman and K.C. Jones, played one season with the Hawks and averaged 8.4 points and 6.8 rebounds.
George Trapp: Fifth pick in the 1971 NBA Draft, picked ahead of Fred Brown, Curtis Rowe and Spencer Haywood and was traded to the Pistons after two disappointing seasons with the Hawks (apparently two years is the cutoff point for rookies in Atlanta).
Jeff Mullins/Gerry Ward: In back-to-back years, the Hawks wasted their fifth pick in the NBA Draft. In 1963, they took Gerry Ward ahead of Gus Johnson and the year after that, they took Mullins ahead of Willis Reed. Mullins played two lackluster seasons in Atlanta before shaping up with the San Francisco Warriors and becoming a three-time All Star. Ward played only four years in the NBA and averaged 1.8 points, 0.9 assists and 0.9 rebounds per game in one season with the Hawks.
Worst 5 Picks:
5) Josh Childress – With the sixth pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, the Hawks took Childress ahead of Luol Deng, Andre Iguodala, Al Jefferson, J.R. Smith and Jameer Nelson. And at the time, it seemed like a good decision, since Childress played well in first season and was third in double-doubles among rookies. He even made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. But in 2008, he succumbed to the “More money!” bug and left the world’s most prestigious basketball league to play for the Greek club Olympiacos Piraeus. He was acquired by the Suns in 2010 and they gave back a future second-round draft pick … which became Mike Scott. And no, unfortunately it was not this Michael Scott. Have you ever heard of the NBA’s Mike Scott? No, you haven’t. So because the Hawks couldn’t even get anything for him in the end, the Hawks definitely ended up regretting taking Childress, a guy who was recently waived by the Brooklyn Nets, with the sixth overall pick.
4) Shelden Williams – In 2006, the Hawks took Shelden Williams fifth overall. And why not? The guy had been a monster in college. He was Duke’s all-time leader in blocks and rebounds and he was only the third player in NCAA history to post 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, 350 blocks and 150 steals. Unfortunately, that potential never translated to the NBA and Atlanta was soon wishing it had taken Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, J.J. Redick, Rajon Rondo or Kyle Lowry instead. Williams has currently averaged 4.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in his career and was traded to Kings in 2008. Not exactly a game-changing pick.
3) DerMarr Johnson – With the sixth pick in the 2000 NBA Draft, the Hawks took DerMarr Johnson out of Cincinnati ahead of guys like Jamal Crawford, Hedo Turkoglu, Jamaal Magloire and Michael Redd. Johnson played two seasons in Atlanta and averaged a mere 6.8 points and 2.9 rebounds with the Hawks before a car crash in 2002 broke his neck and was nearly paralyzed. He would fully recover, but his game never found a home in the NBA and he eventually left the country to play elsewhere, including Lebanon, Columbia, the Philippines, Argentina and Venezuela. But while he’s traveling the world, I’m sure Atlanta’s management would like to have that one back.
2) Marvin Williams – Is this one a bit unfair? Maybe. Are Marvin Williams’ career averages of 11.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in seven seasons with the Hawks respectable? Sure. But anytime a team takes a player with the second overall pick, they’re probably expecting better numbers than that. Unfortunately for the Hawks, they took Williams with the No. 2 pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, inexplicably ahead of Deron Williams AND Chris Paul. I could mention that he was also picked in front of guys like Raymond Felton, Channing Frye, Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger, Nate Robinson, Jarrett Jack, David Lee, Brandon Bass, Ersan Ilyasova, Monta Ellis and Marcin Gortat, but that would mean this pick was really stupid. Oh, wait. I just did mention it and it WAS a really stupid pick. Hindsight is 20-20, of course, but even at the time, Chris Paul falling that far in the draft was an absolute travesty. So considering his lofty spot in the draft and his horrible season with the Jazz this year, I think it’s safe to say that Marvin Williams is one of the bigger draft busts in recent memory.
1) Jon Koncak – Little did the Atlanta Hawks know just how crucial the 1985 NBA Draft could have been for their team. Dominique Wilkins, one of the best players in Hawks’ franchise history, was about to average a career-best 30.3 points per game to go with 7.9 rebounds. The Hawks would win more than 50 games from 1985-89. But each time, they would be beaten by the eventual NBA or Eastern Conference champions, the Boston Celtics or the Detroit Pistons. And do you know what would have helped? IF THEY HADN’T TAKEN JON KONCAK WITH THE FIFTH PICK IN THE 1985 NBA DRAFT! It’s bad enough that he was picked ahead of Chris Mullin, Detlef Schrempf, Charles Oakley, Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, A.C. Green and Terry Porter so that he could play 10 seasons with the Hawks in a reserve role. But this decent 7-foot defender was then signed to a $13 million deal for six years that was unprecedented for a reserve player and made him better paid than Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Because of that deal, the Hawks couldn’t participate in free-agent signings in the next few years, which would have undoubtedly made them more competitive in the East. Poor Koncak, who averaged 4.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in Atlanta, even earned the nickname “Jon Contract.” There’s really nothing more you can say about this one. This pretty much says it all:
Bonus: The Atlanta Hawks have made some great picks and some poor ones, but here are just a few draft decisions that had to be mentioned separately because they didn’t quite fit either category. The common theme? “Oh, what could have been!”
Bob Cousy: The Tri-Cities Blackhawks (which later moved to Milwaukee, then St. Louis and then Atlanta) only gave him $6,000 when he wanted $10,000, so Cousy refused to show up and ended up with Celtics.
Pau Gasol: The Atlanta Hawks traded Pau Gasol, their No. 3 pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, for Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Gasol is a likely future Hall-of-Famer, while Abdur-Rahim .. .is not.
David Thompson: As the No. 1 pick of the 1975 NBA and ABA drafts, the Atlanta Hawks were caught in a bidding war with the other league. The Hawks unbelievably lowballed him, treating him to a meal at McDonald’s. Thompson and his future Hall of Fame career signed with the ABA’s Denver Nuggets instead.
Cleo Hill: Hill showed signs of promise in his first season with the St. Louis Hawks and was one of the first African-Americans to be taken in the first round of the NBA Draft from an historically black college. But his scoring average dropped from 10.8 points per game to 5.5 after management told Coach Paul Seymour to limit his minutes so that white players like Bob Pettit and Cliff Hagan would get more shots. Hill played just one NBA season.
Arvydas Sabonis: Sabonis, a Hall of Famer, was selected 77th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1985 NBA Draft, but it was voided because the young Lithuanian was younger than 21 years old at the time of the draft. He was picked up by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1995.
Bill Russell: The St. Louis Hawks traded arguably the second-best player in the history of basketball to the Celtics for Cliff Hagan and Ed McCauley despite owning his draft rights, creating a trade that became known as one of the most important trades in the history of sports. Unfortunately, I don’t think that fact helps life-long Hawks fans sleep at night thinking about what might have been: