2017 NBA Mock Draft: Post-Lottery edition
By Max Holm
T.J. Leaf. 19. player. 125. <p>Dwight Howard isn’t happy (shocker) and Paul Milsap is a free agent. So yeah, things are going great in Atlanta! The Hawks have some promise with DeAndre’ Bembry and Taurean Prince around Dennis Schroder, but that’s basically it. Howard isn’t likely going anywhere with nearly $50 million owed through 2019. So for Atlanta, it likely makes the most sense to try and upgrade at power forward.</p> <p>Prince will get some looks there, but Atlanta could use more of a stretch-4. That’s where T.J. Leaf comes in. Despite how horrendous he was on defense, he showed himself to be a stretch-4 who could score at all three levels and pass a bit. Leaf cannot be a starting 4 most likely, especially if his team doesn’t have a strong defensive point guard and center. Atlanta would be a better fit to hide Leaf with Howard’s rim protection and Schroder’s toughness, however.</p> <p>Still, there’s no telling whether Leaf can stay on the court like Kevin Love or not. Even if he can’t stay on the court in a playoff series, he’s going to be a nightmare matchup. Leaf is an underrated athlete and passer, and is going to develop into a monster offensively. With the Hawks’ core built around sound defensive players, Leaf could be a nice addition if Atlanta is buying his three-point shot.</p>. PF. UCLA