The Hawks are likely to have their pick of centers if they keep the No. 8 draft pick on Tuesday night. I’m sure that some of team’s supporters will be pleading for president of basketball operations Onsi Saleh to please just take one of those big men.
For seven years, the Hawks built their team around the league’s smallest star, Trae Young, while only briefly employing an effective rim-protecting big man. The Hawks traded Young in January, but opponents continued their relentless attack at the rim. The problem got worse against the Knicks in the playoffs.
Saleh could shore up that weakness by drafting one of the top two center prospects in the draft, Hannes Steinbach and Aday Mara. Either player would provide the muscle in the middle that the Hawks lack.
Steinbach measured 6-foot-10, 248 pounds at the scouting combine. Mara was 7-3, 260. Steinbach is 20 years old and Mara is 21. Their size and relatively older age mean they have a chance of carving out significant roles as NBA rookies.
I doubt they’ll be doing it with the Hawks, though, after listening to what Saleh had to say on the eve of the draft. Here was Saleh’s answer to a question about what it takes to for big men to be effective defenders in the modern NBA:
“Some teams will have a ‘drop’ big that is protecting the rim (on pick-and-rolls). Other teams are just as good, if not better, defensively if you have a switchable big who could go guard 1 through 5. It really depends on your makeup. It would be nice to get both of those archetypes. Then you become really interesting. It’s just hard to find those archetypes in the league right now.”
It’s hard to find them in the draft, too. Only a handful of center prospects with that kind of defensive versatility have been selected in recent drafts. Steinbach and Mara don’t fit the bill this year for the Hawks, who are better off when their big men don’t play drop coverage.
Mara was a great rim protector for the Wolverines last season. He averaged 2.6 blocks per game and was voted defensive player of the year in the Big Ten. But his relative lack of foot speed will make him a liability when defending pick-and-rolls on the perimeter in the NBA.
Steinbach comes with even more question marks on defense. He’s a great rebounder but wasn’t much of a rim protector during his one season at Washington. He also lacks the mobility to guard in space.
Mara and Steinbach also aren’t great fits at the other end for the Hawks. Internally, the Hawks believe that offense was a bigger issue than defense for last season’s team. Mara and Steinbach don’t have the shooting touch they need for big men.
Mara only attempted 10 3-pointers during three years in college, and his poor free-throw shooting suggests there isn’t more range to unlock. Steinbach was a good, not great, shooter at Washington (34% on low volume).
“If (centers) can’t space, then it makes how we play a little trickier, honestly,” Saleh said.
One reason Onyeka Okongwu starts at center for the Hawks is because he’s become a very good 3-point shooter. Okongwu is switchable on defense, but he can be overpowered by bigger, stronger centers around the basket.
There are a few of those in the Eastern Conference: Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks), Jalen Duren (Pistons), Jakob Poeltl (Raptors) and Joel Embiid (Sixers). The Hawks would benefit from employing a starting center with more muscle and rim-protection ability.
But adding those traits at the expense of defensive versatility would be counterproductive. For an example of why, see Portland center Donovan Clingan.
Clingan, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 draft, became a defensive anchor for the Blazers last season. But he was essentially played off the floor in the postseason because he couldn’t keep pace with San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama on the perimeter. Steinbach and Mara could end up in the same situation because of their defensive limitations.
The Hawks need a rim-protecting big man who also can guard the perimeter and shoot 3’s. There aren’t many of those in the NBA. None of the center prospects in this draft project to become that kind of player, so the Hawks should pass on picking one at No. 8.
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