Will Atlanta Hawks Take a Center with Lottery Pick?

With the 2025 NBA Draft on the horizon, the Atlanta Hawks need to add to their front court, particularly at the center position as they continue to build around Trae Young and the rest of their perimeter players.

At the moment, their only true center is Clint Capela, with Onyeka Okongwu also playing some minutes at the five. More than anything, they need an injection of youth at the position, as Capela is now 30 years old and is beginning to slow down.

Considering they pick at 13 this season, the top two big men in Khaman Maluach and Derik Queen will be off the board, leaving it up to the front office to get creative with their pick. Here are some of the options they have at the end of the lottery.

The most obvious pick here is Georgetown's Thomas Sorber, who is a 6-foot-10, 250-pound physical presence in the paint that is an excellent rebounder as well as skilled interior scorer.

He averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game last season despite injuries cutting his campaign short after 23 games. He was physically dominant despite being a true freshman, and this can carry him into a starting role in the NBA earlier rather than later.

After Maluach, Queen, and Sorber, the center position thins out. The only other options that make sense for Atlanta here are Stanford's Maxime Reynaud and Michigan's Danny Wolf. Reynaud makes more sense from a fit perspective and what he could potentially do as a defensive anchor type of big, but taking him at 13 would be a reach.

Wolf is not quite the rim protector that either of these possible prospects are, but his playmaking out of the post could provide a spark for an offense as he develops.

Still, the ideal pick for Atlanta is still Thomas Sorber due to a confluence of factors. First of all, he is the best center available in that range, full stop. Secondly, his fit with Trae Young and Dyson Daniels as a true lob threat as well as a defensive menace could impact the Hawks on both ends of the floor.

If he is available, this is a no-brainer selection.