Atlanta Hawks: Complete 2018 offseason grades
Drafting Omari Spellman
The 2018 NBA Draft was one of the rare times that the Hawks have had three or more draft picks in the first round in the Draft Lottery era. With their third pick of the round (30th overall), they selected Omari Spellman.
Spellman dominated the Big East while playing for 2018 NCAA champion Villanova. He was second in the Big East in total rebounds as well as blocks. His 96.7 Defensive Rating was also second-best in the conference, helping him earn Big East Rookie of the Year.
Spellman should be a defensive force for the Hawks, providing solid backup minutes for John Collins. He should be able to pop out for the occasional 3-pointer as well; Spellman averaged 3.8 3-point attempts per game, making 43.3 percent of them.
In Summer League play, Spellman was in the top five in rebounds per game while in Utah, and averaged 10.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. However, he only shot 35.6 percent from the floor over eight Summer League games.
Spellman comes to the Atlanta Hawks with high expectations, but with John Collins starting ahead of him, he has a chance to ease into the NBA instead of starting right away. If training camp goes well though, we could see him higher than most in the bench rotation. In a draft full of athletic big men, the Hawks were still able to grab one even after addressing other pressing needs.
Grade: B+