As the Atlanta Hawks look to continue their long-term growth around Trae Young and the rest of their perimeter players, they need to add to their frontcourt, particularly at the center position, with Clint Capela entering age 30 and expected to sign elsewhere in unrestricted free agency this summer.
The Hawks hold the two first-round picks, and barring any trade, one analyst predicts they will address the need at center with the No. 22 pick they acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Hawks Predicted To Select Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber
The only true center currently on the Hawks roster is Capela, and even if he stays this summer, he is a 30-year-old and beginning to slow down. Onyeka Okongwu has also been playing some minutes at the five, but Atlanta badly needs an injection of youth, and with two picks in the top 25, they will easily find a reliable center.
Khaman Maluach, Derik Queen, and Thomas Sorber are the top three consensus centers in this class. But considering the Hawks are selecting at No. 13, Maluach and Queen will be off the board, leaving Sorber as Atlanta’s choice.
However, in his latest NBA mock draft, ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony predicted the Hawks would select Michigan State point guard Jase Richardson. But fortunately for Atlanta, Sorber was still on the board at No. 22, and they made the pick.
“The Hawks acquired the Lakers’ pick as part of the Dyson Daniels-Dejounte Murray trade, their second selection in the first round,” Givony wrote. “With Clint Capela an unrestricted free agent, it makes sense for the Hawks to think about drafting a successor to back up Onyeka Okongwu at center.”
Standing at 6’10”, 255 pounds, Sorber offers plenty of upside on both ends of the court. As a freshman this past season, he averaged 14.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.0 BPG, and 1.5 SPG for the Hoyas. Sorber’s post-centric game isn’t the cleanest fit in the NBA, but he also demonstrates promising passing skills.
“His strong feel for the game, defensive versatility, length, physicality, and skill level as a pick-and-roll finisher are attractive qualities at 19 years old that should draw plenty of attention in this portion of the draft,” Givony added of Sorber.
However, Sorber missed the last month of the season for Georgetown after a foot injury, which is always a red flag for a big, and the reason he went undrafted in the first round of PFSN’s latest NBA mock draft by Sterling Xie.
Xie predicted the Hawks to select Nolan Traoré with the No. 13 pick before investing the No. 22 pick in Israeli guard Ben Saraf.
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“With their second first-rounder, the Hawks can afford to take a home run swing on a draft-and-stash prospect,” he wrote .”Ben Saraf won’t contribute to a team in 2025-26, but the 18-year-old Israeli guard would be an investment with Trae Young’s long-term future in Atlanta uncertain.”
Young is unlikely to leave Atlanta, and with Saraf shooting just 22.2% on 3s this past season, using a first-round selection on him doesn’t make sense. It would be better for the Hawks to address the need at center with the No. 22 pick on Sorber, given that he showed no visible signs of injury at the combine, and said he was back to normal.
