THE 2024 National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft is rapidly approaching, with each team making their final preparations ahead of adding some young talent to the best competition in the world.

There is some seriously impressive young talent available, with the crop stretching all around the globe as more international players begin to gain recognition. Suddenly, the collegiate system is not the only method to joining the NBA, which has allowed a broader range of players to compete at the top level.

With the NBA wrapping up the 2023/24 season as we speak, the teams already eliminated have spent the past few weeks considering which players they will select to prepare for the future, and the recent Draft Lottery saw the official order determined.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central will be taking a look at each team and how their draft will potentially pan out on June 26-27. With all 30 sides in their own unique situation, there is plenty to unpack ahead of the next injection of exciting players.

The first team on the agenda is the Atlanta Hawks, who surprisingly hold the top pick in the upcoming draft and will be able to add the best player from the crop.

Atlanta Hawks

Draft Selections

1

Contracted players

Trae Young, Clint Capela, De’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Dejounte Murray, Onyeka Okongwu, Kobe Bufkin (Team Option), AJ Griffin (Team Option), Bruno Fernando, Garrison Matthews (Team Option), Mouhamed Gueye

Despite having just a three per cent chance of jumping to the top selection, the Hawks were given the number one pick in the recent NBA Draft Lottery, stunning the lower performing sides as Atlanta did well enough to even make the play-in.

Now armed with the first choice, the Hawks will be able to pick whichever player they like on draft night, with a plethora of options that could prove welcome additions to Atlanta’s roster.

Australian basketball fans will be very familiar with the work of potential top pick Alexandre Sarr after an exciting season with the Perth Wildcats as a next star in the National Basketball League (NBL). The French phenom is looming as the top pick, after showing superstar potential on both ends of the floor as a big man.

Sarr is an interesting prospect for the Hawks as Atlanta currently has both Capela and Okongwu under contract for the 2024/25 season, but he is the most talented prospect in the class, so they could be forced to move one of those names. Pairing Sarr with Young would unlock another level to the youngster’s game, having never played with a point guard of that calibre.

The other potential option for the Hawks is to add to its wing stocks – which were severely depleted towards the end of the fixture – and select Zaccharie Risacher. With the ability to play either the two or three, he would be an excellent perimeter option with promising athleticism and strong defensive coverage at six-foot-eight.

While it seems likely the Hawks will select Sarr, the world is their oyster, with the potential of even moving the top pick still on the table, leaving plenty of intrigue surrounding their situation.