Hawks Draft Grades

[Guest]

I pulled these from different places to see what the consensus was (if there was one)

FoxSports

Atlanta Hawks:
Round 1: Taurean Prince, F, Baylor (No. 12 overall) (*via Utah); DeAndre Bembry, SF, St. Joseph's (21)
Round 2: Isaia Cordinier, SG, France (44)
Grade: B

As we learned in their series with the Cavs, the Hawks are still a long way from being competitive with the top team in the East, and it could get worse if Al Horford leaves during free agency.To Atlanta's credit, however, it used its two first-round picks on guys who can contribute right away. That is no small feat in a draft with as little depth as this one. Cordinier is an athletic guard who could be a nice fit in the long-term.

 

CBSSports:

	Taurean Prince | SF, BaylorHeight: 6-8   Weight: 220 Simply put, this is a massive reach for Atlanta, who acquired this pick for Jeff Teague. There's a decent chance Prince would have been there at No. 21. He has massive overlap with Paul Millsap. Why this felt like the right move for the Hawks, I'm not entirely sure, especially when players like Deyonta Davis and Wade Baldwin were on the board.  Grade D+
	DeAndre' Bembry | SF, Saint Joseph'sHeight: 6-6   Weight: 210 The Hawks have been discussed as a potential landing spot for Bembry throughout the process. He fits well with Atlanta's need to create offense on the wing. He's a complete player already and could have an impact early. He just needs to work on his shooting a bit more. Grade B

 

SI

TAUREAN PRINCE, BAYLOR  GRADE: B+

The Hawks acquired this pick in the Jeff Teague trade Wednesday and coveted Prince, who immediately fills a hole on the wing as a delayed replacement for DeMarre Carroll. He’s a jack of all trades, master of none, but that should be a positive as he slides into Atlanta’s ball movement-heavy system. There weren’t a ton of pro-ready two-way wings in the draft, and the Hawks were decisive and got their guy. You do wonder, though, if he’d have been available later in the draft.

DEANDRE BEMBRY, ST. JOE'S   GRADE: A

This is pretty much an ideal fit for Bembry, whose terrific passing ability and well-rounded game are philosophically in line with what the Hawks like to do. His feel for the floor is beyond his years, and he can do a bit of everything for you, with his three-point shot the only real bit of doubt. With Bembry and Taurean Prince, they’ve injected youth and talent on the wing and added two players who won’t be overwhelmed next season. Whether Al Horford stays or goes, the Hawks make two solid moves for the future.

 

USA Today

Pick: Taurean Prince, forward, Baylor,   Grade: B

Analysis: If the Hawks had any plans to replace DeMarre Carroll, who they noticeably missed this season, Prince is their guy. From the 6-8 frame to the three-and-d capabilities, Prince doesn't necessarily have the makings of a star, but he could contribute as a role player from day one.

Pick: Deandre Benbry, forward, Grade: A-

Analysis: Bembry wasn't as highly touted as some of the other prospects, but he's a versatile, underrated athlete who could fit seamlessly into the Hawks' rotation and pair well with Prince, who the Hawks grabbed earlier in the draft. Bembry's also an elite passer. The fact that Al Horford might hit free agency makes this a logical pick.

Bleacher Report

verall Grade: B

No. 12: Taurean Prince, SF, Baylor

The Atlanta Hawks may have reached for Taurean Prince with the pick gained in the Jeff Teague trade, but he is a small forward who fits their system and makes it easier to avoid overpaying Kent Bazemore in free agency. The Baylor product is a natural fit in head coach Mike Budenholzer's scheme, both because of his versatile defense and ability to stroke long-range jumpers.  

During his final three seasons with the Bears, Prince shot at least 36 percent from beyond the arc each time—the latter two coming while he took at least four treys per game. 

Think DeMarre Carroll. Think Bazemore. That's the type of player Prince should become with the Hawks, though his lack of strength could make it tougher for him to survive the rigors of a full NBA season. 

No. 21: DeAndre Bembry, SF, St. Joseph's

Atlanta continues to restock on the wings, making it even more unlikely it's willing to pony up and hand Bazemore a new contract. 

DeAndre Bembry doesn't have the shooting ability you might expect from a wing playing under Budenholzer, but he's terrific driving to the basket and finishing through traffic. He also gives the Hawks another ball-handling option to take some pressure off Dennis Schröder/whoever else is playing point guard, and that shot-creating ability should prove invaluable on a second unit that often struggles to generate its offense. 

This small forward also excels on the less glamorous end, even finishing No. 23 throughout the NCAA in defensive points saved during his final season at St. Joseph's, per NBA Math. 

 

No. 44: Isaia Cordinier, SG, France

And the Hawks dip into the wing well yet again. 

This 19-year-old shooting guard from France won't be ready to play in the NBA for a few years. But he could make a significant impact when he's finally prepared to journey across the pond. Isaia Cordinier has the athleticism necessary to thrive in transition and play high-quality defense, and his jumper has shown signs of quick development. 

Still, he's the definition of a draft-and-stash prospect. That won't change for at least a couple seasons.

 

Forbes

12. Atlanta Hawks (from Utah Jazz): Taurean Prince (SF, Baylor)

This pick is part of a proposed trade that saw the Hawks send Jeff Teague to the Indiana Pacers and George Hill to Utah, but it is still a major reach. Prince is athletic, plays great defense and is a fine catch-and-shoot threat from three-point land, but easily would have been available later in the draft. The fact that he went ahead of someone like Malik Beasley is a real head-scratcher. Yes, the upside is there, but not at No. 12. Grade: C

 

21. Atlanta Hawks: DeAndre Bembry (SF, St. Joseph’s)

Versatility is the name of Bembry’s game, and this is a great pick for an Atlanta team that already reached with Taurean Prince earlier in the draft. Bembry provides depth at a position that is sure to be deep across the league, especially with teams shifting towards smaller lineups, and his being able to shoot threes and drive the lane only helps Atlanta in the long run, even if team management could have traded down into the early second round to snag him there. Grade: B

 

Yahoo

12. Atlanta Hawks (from Utah)
Taurean Prince | SF | Baylor 
Senior | 21 | 6-7, 215
The lowdown: Tough combo guard with a versatile offensive game and a reputation as a defender. Chiseled frame and long arms. Gets out in transition and makes shots with range. Can do some damage as a slasher, but isn't very creative off the bounce. Capable passer but decision-making isn't always ideal. Very good shooting mechanics. Can really defend. Nice role-player potential as a three-and-D guy. 
Y Sports grade: C

 

21. Atlanta Hawks 
DeAndre Bembry | SG |St. Joseph's
Junior | 21 | 6-6, 210
The lowdown: Versatile wing with athleticism and basketball instincts. Good in the open floor. Polished feel for the game. Made an impact on the glass, as a passer and on the defensive end in college. Capable scorer, but shot very few threes. His ability to keep the defense honest is a point of interest moving forward. 
Y Sports grade: C+

 

[Thomas]

CBSSports

Taurean Prince | SF, BaylorHeight: 6-8   Weight: 220 Simply put, this is a massive reach for Atlanta, who acquired this pick for Jeff Teague. There's a decent chance Prince would have been there at No. 21. He has massive overlap with Paul Millsap. Why this felt like the right move for the Hawks, I'm not entirely sure, especially when players like Deyonta Davis and Wade Baldwin were on the board.  Grade D+ How the heck is Prince an overlap to Sap? We don't use Sap in the 3 and D role. Thanks for posting this because CBS makes me feel like a legitimate scout for the NBA. Pretty scary huh.

[GrimeyKidd]

So people are dropping the grade down because of his spot in the draft. Not necessarily his skill and fit. What sense does that make.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, Thomas said:

CBSSports

Taurean Prince | SF, BaylorHeight: 6-8   Weight: 220 Simply put, this is a massive reach for Atlanta, who acquired this pick for Jeff Teague. There's a decent chance Prince would have been there at No. 21. He has massive overlap with Paul Millsap. Why this felt like the right move for the Hawks, I'm not entirely sure, especially when players like Deyonta Davis and Wade Baldwin were on the board.  Grade D+ How the heck is Prince an overlap to Sap? We don't use Sap in the 3 and D role. Thanks for posting this because CBS makes me feel like a legitimate scout for the NBA. Pretty scary huh.

What a dumb synopsis.  You can not like the pick, but that's not the reason to not like the pick.  And didn't Davis go in the 2nd round?  But we were supposed to take him in the lottery?  Ummmm

[Thomas]

2 minutes ago, kg01 said:

What a dumb synopsis.  You can not like the pick, but that's not the reason to not like the pick.  And didn't Davis go in the 2nd round?  But we were supposed to take him in the lottery?  Ummmm

I wouldn't give CBSSports the D+ they gave us talking about taking Prince.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, GrimeyKidd said:

So people are dropping the grade down because of his spot in the draft. Not necessarily his skill and fit. What sense does that make.

Yeah, I would've preferred he was the 21 pick but at the end of the day he's a guy I wanted us to get all along.  I'm at peace with his draft position.

[macdaddy]

Seems like with 2 first round picks we went with two role players.   I mean what's the best case scenario here , that we've found replacements for Baze and Thabo?  That's not really going to move the needle.   I just find it hard to believe this is what we got for Teague and I just can't believe how little we got for Teague compared to the haul the Thunder pulled in for Ilbaka.

[GrimeyKidd]

2 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

Seems like with 2 first round picks we went with two role players.   I mean what's the best case scenario here , that we've found replacements for Baze and Thabo?  That's not really going to move the needle.   I just find it hard to believe this is what we got for Teague and I just can't believe how little we got for Teague compared to the haul the Thunder pulled in for Ilbaka.

Better to get at least that in a Weak draft though imo

[Sothron]

54 minutes ago, GrimeyKidd said:

So people are dropping the grade down because of his spot in the draft. Not necessarily his skill and fit. What sense does that make.

That's a part of draft grades. If you have the #1 pick and pass on a potential superstar to grab a decent role player that is projected to go 15 overall then you would earn a bad draft grade. You don't reach for players. This Price kid might be a decent DMC replacement but we could have gotten him at 21. If you look at practically any analysis of that pick they all say we reached for him. It is bad resource management on our front office.

[GrimeyKidd]

Just now, Sothron said:

That's a part of draft grades. If you have the #1 pick and pass on a potential superstar to grab a decent role player that is projected to go 15 overall then you would earn a bad draft grade. You don't reach for players. This Price kid might be a decent DMC replacement but we could have gotten him at 21. If you look at practically any analysis of that pick they all say we reached for him. It is bad resource management on our front office.

We don't know what other teams were thinking though. People said teams sitting at 15-17 really wanted him.  No way to truly tell we could have gotten him at 21

[ATLiott]

1 hour ago, GrimeyKidd said:

So people are dropping the grade down because of his spot in the draft. Not necessarily his skill and fit. What sense does that make.

It makes a lot of sense.  Does it make sense to pay $10 for a donut?

[Dejay]

4 minutes ago, Sothron said:

That's a part of draft grades. If you have the #1 pick and pass on a potential superstar to grab a decent role player that is projected to go 15 overall then you would earn a bad draft grade. You don't reach for players. This Price kid might be a decent DMC replacement but we could have gotten him at 21. If you look at practically any analysis of that pick they all say we reached for him. It is bad resource management on our front office.

What he said. I don't necessarily have a problem with them drafting Prince, it's where they drafted Prince. I would think that if there is a possibility of him being there into the teens that you simply trade down and at the very least get a future pick and/or a veteran who could help in return. That would reduce the amount of work you have to do in free agency in terms of finding another guy who is being courted elsewhere. And considering the massive haul that OKC got for an expiring contract of Ibaka, to come away with just a low-lottery pick that they seemed to have reached for gives me pause...

1 minute ago, ATLiott said:

It makes a lot of sense.  Does it make sense to pay $10 for a donut?

 

[GrimeyKidd]

Pause

[Gray Mule]

PRINCE:  He's great, just what the Hawks need (But he shouldn't have been taken this high, therefore it's a bad grade!)

BEMBRY:  Great pick, though Hawks should have passed on Prince and hope he was still available at this spot.

CORDINIER:  A second round, pick and stash over seas for later.

FELDER: Sold for big  $$$ to Cavs.

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, Dejay said:

What he said. I don't necessarily have a problem with them drafting Prince, it's where they drafted Prince. I would think that if there is a possibility of him being there into the teens that you simply trade down and at the very least get a future pick and/or a veteran who could help in return. That would reduce the amount of work you have to do in free agency in terms of finding another guy who is being courted elsewhere. And considering the massive haul that OKC got for an expiring contract of Ibaka, to come away with just a low-lottery pick that they seemed to have reached for gives me pause...

 

That makes sense, but is it really that simple to just trade down?  

[Thomas]

1 hour ago, kg01 said:

Yeah, I would've preferred he was the 21 pick but at the end of the day he's a guy I wanted us to get all along.  I'm at peace with his draft position.

It's growing on me especially reading a post earlier that Boston had some mid round interest.

[Dejay]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

That makes sense, but is it really that simple to just trade down?  

If there was a willing trade partner, YES. But if Boston was kicking the tires on Prince and the other three teams ahead of them weren't willing to play ball, I guess you go with what you got. I'm still taken aback at what the Hawks got for Teague, especially after watching OKC show us how it's done by bending over Orlando in the Ibaka deal...

[sturt]

2 hours ago, macdaddy said:

Seems like with 2 first round picks we went with two role players.   I mean what's the best case scenario here , that we've found replacements for Baze and Thabo?  That's not really going to move the needle.   I just find it hard to believe this is what we got for Teague and I just can't believe how little we got for Teague compared to the haul the Thunder pulled in for Ilbaka.

I'll give you that, but I think of it the other way around... I can't believe how much ORL gave up for him. The other major factor that screws up the comparison is tweet damage.... hard to imagine that we didn't take a hit of some magnitude in Teague's marketability b/c of the injury he confessed. I look at what we were rumored to get for him from the 76ers, and what we actually got from him, and I'm left to that conclusion.

Edited June 24, 2016 by sturt

[JTB]

I'm probably the only one but I love our draft picks. I think bud and Wilcox did well besides its the draft where no player is a guarantee. 

We have been talking about prince often around here when it came to the draft so most of you should be happy as most compared him to a younger, quicker, more athletic version of DMC.

i don't get all the fuss...right now anyways...let's hold the budcox suck chants until we see what they do in free agency which honestly was always the part of the off season if we were going to call for budcox head.

[sturt]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

1 hour ago, Dejay said:

What he said. I don't necessarily have a problem with them drafting Prince, it's where they drafted Prince. I would think that if there is a possibility of him being there into the teens that you simply trade down and at the very least get a future pick and/or a veteran who could help in return. That would reduce the amount of work you have to do in free agency in terms of finding another guy who is being courted elsewhere. And considering the massive haul that OKC got for an expiring contract of Ibaka, to come away with just a low-lottery pick that they seemed to have reached for gives me pause...

 

Was reported yesterday that that is what they were attempting to do. Can't fault them that they didn't try. But we don't know what we don't know, in this case, if there was any interest at all. All we know is, if there was interest, no one offered something they felt good about. The other possibility too is that if you trade back, there's a chance that the Celtics (his most likely landing spot according to some) could trade up ahead of you and you're left hanging.

Nah. Taking all of the risks into account, I'm okay with this. Not thrilled, but okay. We got the guy we really needed to get, imo.