Atlanta Hawks Could Potentially Draft Collin Murray-Boyles Following NBA Lottery

The Atlanta Hawks could be a likely destination for South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles.

While South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris said he is still holding a roster spot open for Collin Murray-Boyles to return if he wanted to, the former Gamecock continues to be projected as a lottery pick in this year's draft.

On top of that, the NBA lottery was Monday night, so now the draft order is known. Murray-Boyles has been projected as a late lottery pick this year and there is a team that is rather close to home that could very well select the Gamecock in that slot.

The Atlanta Hawks were awarded the 13th overall pick in this year's draft from a trade between them and the Sacramento Kings a while back. The Hawks have Trae Young, they have Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher, the first overall pick last year. They also have Onyeka Okongwu, who has emerged as the team's starting center, so who better to draft than a strong power forward that can fill up the stat sheet?

It's worth noting that ESPN's most recent NBA mock draft had Murray-Boyles going 9th overall to the Toronto Raptors, so the Hawks might not even get a chance to select him. Here is what ESPN said about Murray-Boyles as a prospect.

"Murray-Boyles has been of interest to NBA teams for the past couple of seasons, with his statistical profile holding strong appeal in analytics models and the eye test backing much of that performance. Though undersized for his position, his toughness, play finishing, passing and defensive chops are attractive. Teams will be particularly eager to see how Murray-Boyles shoots in workout settings, with the 3-point shot not yet a regular part of his arsenal but a key swing skill in his development. There is plug-and-play appeal in the things he already does well. -- Woo"

Murray-Boyles is a Columbia, South Carolina native, so Atlanta wouldn't be too far of a move from him, so perhaps Atlanta sees the former Gamecock as a perfect fit for them this year.