Don’t I Know You?
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Have you ever sat down and tried to come up with top 5 lists? I got the thinking as I write for the Georgia Sports Edition as of July 1st (changed from Southern Sports Edition) who are the top 5 current sports figures in the State of Georgia. Here goes my totally subjective list:
- Jake Fromm QB UGA: The starting QB for the flagship university always makes an updated list of top sports figures in the State.
Fromm goes into his sophomore season at the University of Georgia as the starting QB after leading UGA to a 13-2 record, Rose Bowl win, and national title game appearance as a freshman in 2017.
Fromm is loved throughout the State and the Dawgs are loaded going into 2018 on offense. Fromm looked a little rusty during the spring game, but this kid has something you can’t coach and it is called the WOW factor.
Nothing seems to bother him and that is a good thing because Justin Fields is nipping at his heels now in Athens. UGA is set at the QB position for the next few years, and Jake is the golden boy around the State right now.
- Ozzie Albies 2B Atlanta Braves: Albies is taking not just the State of Georgia by storm, but the nation by storm as he is the front runner for the National League Rookie of the year.
The kid is around 20 homeruns and his enthusiasm for the game has helped ignite the Braves nation in 2018.
Albies will likely be the starting second baseman for the National League All Stars in this year’s game in Washington DC. At 5’8 and 155 lbs. the power numbers are off the charts and the excitement is back in the State for Braves baseball.
- Matt Ryan QB Atlanta Falcons: Matty Ice is the highest paid player in the NFL. Ryan just became the NFL’s first 30 million per year player and his current deal guarantees him $100 million.
Football is king in the State of Georgia and Ryan will lead the Falcons to the playoffs in 2018. Possibly, back to the Super Bowl and redemption from blowing the 25-point third quarter SB lead two years ago. Ryan is putting together a potential Hall of Fame career in Atlanta that could be cemented with a Super Bowl ring.
- Freddie Freeman 1B Atlanta Braves: Freeman is currently batting .311 with 16 HR and 56 RBI for the division leading Atlanta Braves and is the face of the franchise.
The Freeman led Braves are in first place in July for the first time since 2014 and Freeman is having an MVP season in 2018. If the season ended today Freeman would probably be named National League MVP.
Freeman has been a regular in Atlanta now since 2010 and is one of the most recognizable sports figures in the state. If Freddie leads the Braves back to the World Series he might have a future in Georgia politics one day.
And the most recognizable sport figure in the state of Georgia currently is: Kirby Smart Head Football Coach University of Georgia: Smart is the face of UGA Football.
Born and raised in Georgia, played and earned All-SEC honors at UGA, and now has UGA competing for national championships in a State that is football crazy and championship deprived.
The 2017 UGA football season was magical and Smart had the Dawgs a blown coverage away from its first National Championship since 1980.
Smart is the best recruiter in the business and now has UGA reloading every year. Georgia season football tickets are the most treasured possession in the Peach State currently all because of the monster Kirby is building in Athens.
Kirby Smart is the most popular and most recognizable sports figure in the State of Georgia and if he wins a national title in the near future your future Governor when he retires from coaching football.
To The Plains
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Jashawn Sheffield, 4-star athlete from Frederica Academy, has made his college decision.
In a video that has been watched over 100,000 times, Sheffield announced his decision to further his academic and athletic career at Auburn University.
His final decision came down between Auburn and South Carolina and both schools made it very difficult for him.
Sheffield has been on the recruiting scene since his freshman year at Frederica Academy. He received over 10 offers from colleges from across the country before starting his sophomore season.
For a while everyone thought he was destined to be a Florida State Seminole. If you ask him he would tell you that he always thought he would wear the garnet and gold as well. What a lot of people do not know is that Sheffield was once committed to Florida State.
He committed to Jimbo Fisher the spring of 2017. A lot changed at FSU in the fall that led to Jimbo Fisher taking a job at Texas A&M. The move of Fisher allowed Sheffield to open things up and give other schools a closer look. He was able to take several visits to different colleges and ultimately, he decided that Auburn was the best fit for him.
Sheffield will join his teammate, Jaylin Simpson, at Auburn. These two have been teammates since the 6th grade. Simpson will suit up on the defensive side of the ball and there is a chance that Sheffield could join him.
Sheffield is ranked the 10th ranked athlete in the country. This was appealing for Auburn. They feel as if he can play the offensive side of the ball or the defensive side. He is not sure which side he prefers. One day he will tell you wide receiver and the next day he will tell you safety. This will be something that Gus Malzhan and his staff will figure out when he arrives in the Plains.
The recruiting process has not been one that Sheffield has been a fan of. A lot of fans do not really get what some of these recruits go through during the process.
Recruits have to try and figure out who is telling the truth and who is flat out lying. This decision is the first real adult decision some of these prospects will make in their lives.
Sheffield will join some of his Cam Newton 7v7 teammates on the Auburn commitment list. Quarterback Bo Nix, WR George Pickens, CB Jaylin Simpson and TE Tyler Fromm.
He will also join his longtime friend, Owen Pappoe. Auburn is not finished on the recruiting trail. They have their eyes on several other Georgia Prospects.
Frederica now has two prospects committed in their 2019 class. These two will not be the last. Harry Veal, Patrick Brunson, Michael Tindle, Cameron Gardner, JT Elliott, and Cole Hinson will all look to add their name to a college’s commitment list this year.
The 2020 class has some players that will play on Saturdays as well. Denver Anthony and Deke Jernigan will have the opportunity to play as well.
Brandon Derrick’s program has 3 student athletes playing football on Saturdays. Tony Heyward is at Rhodes College, Austin Skelton is at Samford, and Santana Clark will attend Jacksonville University.
Frederica Academy is at the top of GISA when it comes to sending its players to the next level to play football.
Flying Back To Old Heights
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The comparison is often made that good teams – like wild animals – can be most dangerous when backed into a corner. There is obviously some truth to that for the saying to have become cliche, but there is more than one law to both nature and sports.
Sometimes, the most danger stems from guard being let down with a known threat that has become so commonplace that people have taken it for granted.
For nearly its entire modern existence, the Georgia Southern football program has been a powerhouse.
In just their second season of Division I-AA (now Football Championship Subdivision) competition, the Eagles claimed a national title. One year later, they became the first team ever to win consecutive championships at that level.
The next quarter century saw Georgia Southern rise as the unquestioned dynasty atop its level of competition, with ‘bad years’ being more commonly recognized as early playoff exits than losing records.
And when the time finally came to move up to the Football Bowl Subdivision, it was like a refresher course in GS Football history.
The Eagles’ first season in FBS resulted in a 9-3 record with two very-near upsets against ACC opponents. And it would have ended with a bowl if not for a useless NCAA bylaw that kept them out of consideration.
2015 brought about another stellar season and a game against Georgia that went into overtime and has kept the Bulldogs from releasing any comment on future dates for what had been a renewing rivalry series.
That season culminated in the first-ever bowl for Georgia Southern – a date with Bowling Green in the Go Daddy Bowl. The Eagles thoroughly disassembled the Mid-American Conference champs in that game and seemed poised to become an immediate player in the perennial ‘G5’ discussion.
But a funny thing happened on the way to more Georgia Southern dominance.
The 2016 season seemed to be set up for even more success than the previous year’s bowl-winner. Newly-hired head coach Tyson Summers got off to a 3-0 start in his tenure, but then the wheels fell off.
And then those wheels careened off of a cliff… And then the truck itself slammed into a mountain… and then the remains of that truck also fell off of the cliff.
The 2016 campaign ended with a 5-7 record and no return to a bowl. The next season began with a losing streak that nearly doubled the previous school record and Summers had been relieved before the Eagles saw their first win.
But the good thing about a program that can barely comprehend such a bad run of results is that it doesn’t take much to build up optimism for the next go-round.
Chad Lunsford was named the interim head coach midway through 2017. And while Georgia Southern won just two of the six games during that stint, a change in mood and culture was palpable and led to Lunsford being named the official head coach before the season concluded.
Some firings and hirings took place, while other members of the existing staff remained.
The first ‘early signing day’ of the new NCAA recruiting rules saw GS fall behind Sun Belt rivals, but the staff made more hires, ramped up the recruiting efforts, and by February ended up with the top-rated recruiting class in the conference.
The ultimate judgment on whether or not the Eagles have turned things around won’t come until the fall, but it’s hard to argue that Georgia Southern hasn’t had a great offseason that is quickly erasing a disastrous 2017.
Wolves On The Hunt
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Buford High School has been a football powerhouse since the turn of the century. The Wolves have won 11 state championships, 10 of them from 2001 to 2014. During that stretch, there were three different three-peats.
For a program of this caliber, not winning a championship since 2014 is a long drought. In 2017 they went 11-2 and lost to Rome in the AAAAA state semifinals 45-7.
Buford has produced several Division 1 prospects over the years and this season will be no different. Center Harry Miller is the No. 8 ranked player in the state of Georgia. He’s 6’4, 310 pounds so he has great size and he verbally committed to Ohio State.
Running back Derrian Brown is a four-star recruit and the 24th ranked player in the state. He received 34 offers from major programs like Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State, LSU, Notre Dame, Georgia, Arkansas, Penn State and Florida.
Last year as a junior, he shared carries with Anthony Grant (Florida State) and Christian Turner (Michigan), who have both graduated and gone to the next level. Brown ran for 844 yards on 94 carries, which translates to 8.9 yards per carry. He will be the featured back this season so expect his numbers to be drastically better.
“He’s just becoming a complete back,” head coach John Ford said at the Corky Kell 7-on-7 tournament. “He can run with power, he can run with vision. He can run with patience. He’s doing some things in the passing game where he’ll be a threat in that too.”
The Wolves lost to Corky Kell champion Marietta in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Buford features another top 50 state recruit, guard Riley Simonds. He’s a three-star recruit and verbally committed to Florida.
They typically play a very difficult schedule and this year is no different. The season kicks off August 17th against Tucker in the Corky Kell Classic. The game will be played at Georgia State Stadium, formerly Turner Field. The Tigers are an elite 6A program so this should be a very competitive game. Tucker also has a star player, defensive end Derrick McLendon has committed to Florida State.
The following week is at home against Jonesboro. This will be an easy win.
Deerfield Beach (FL) comes to town August 31st. The Bucks were 8-3 last season so they should be pretty good in 2018. I still give the advantage to the Wolves.
After a bye week they face Newton at home. The Wolves will destroy Newton by 40-50 points.
September 21st is a huge match up in Lawrenceville at Archer. The Tigers are a 7A school with a ton of talent. They have stars like Andrew Booth, he’s a five-star corner back and the No. 6 player in the state.
They also have three-star players like Safety Jalyn Phillips and wide receiver Braylen Weems. I expect Archer to win but the game should be close.
Johnson (Gainesville) comes to Buford after that and region play begins. Buford beat the Knights 70-0 last season and I expect a similar result.
The Wolves then travel to Athens to play Cedar Shoals. They beat them 56-0 in 2017 and we can expect more of the same.
The final three games are at Loganville, Walnut Grove and Clarke Central. The combined scores against these 3 opponents last year was 136-7. These will all be huge blowouts again.
Buford will make the playoffs and compete for another state title. I’m not sure if they have what it takes to overtake Rome but we will see.
Life Without Matty Ice
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When Atlanta drafted Michael Vick with the number pick in 2001, most Falcons fans were convinced they had their franchise quarterback. And after multiple Pro Bowls and a playoff win at Lambeau Field, they had to feel like they were set at quarterback for the foreseeable future.
The sentiment was correct, it just wasn’t the player they thought it would be.
Matt Ryan has accomplished quite a bit since entering the NFL in 2008 and is well deserving of all the accolades and money that has been thrown his way.
Over the course of his career the most important thing he has achieved, or at least it should be in the mind of Falcons’ fans, is that he has kept the franchise from becoming the Miami Dolphins.
Since Dan Marino retired almost twenty years ago, the Dolphins have been mired in mediocrity, like quicksand; the more they struggle to get out, the deeper they get sucked in.
There are a few different reasons why that’s happened, but the main one is their lack of a franchise quarterback. Miami has had so many different quarterbacks since Marino I’m starting to believe they’re modeling their franchise after the Cleveland Browns.
The point is, with what happened to Vick and the dogfighting, Atlanta didn’t have a viable contingency plan in place for unexpectedly losing- up to that point- the best quarterback in franchise history.
(If you remember, Atlanta entered the 2007 season- or as I refer to it, the “season that explains why Bobby Petrino isn’t allowed in the state of Georgia”- with Joey Harrington at quarterback.)
It’s difficult enough to find one top tier quarterback in the draft, but to do it again seven years later is almost impossible.
Yet that was what Atlanta was tasked with doing. Had they missed on Ryan it could have set the franchise back 4-5 years; something that would’ve been almost unthinkable 12 months prior.
This is why I think that selection is the most important football decision the franchise has ever made and while you can argue there have been better players, I don’t think there’s been a more vital one than Ryan.
The Falcons were about to dive head first into six inches of water but the addition of Ryan changed their trajectory.
I realize with his new 5 year/$150 million contract to go along with the amount of talent on Atlanta’s roster, there is a lot of pressure for Ryan to bring home a Lombardi Trophy to the “Dirty South”; and there should be.
I just don’t think whatever winds up happening over his remaining years that it should diminish what he has meant to the Falcons organization and the city of Atlanta.
All I’m saying is that 10 years ago Atlanta was coming off the most difficult 12 months in their franchise’s history. Vick, Petrino, 4-12 season; they could have easily bottomed out. But they didn’t and a big reason is because of Matt Ryan.
Like I said, Atlanta always planned to go through with a franchise changing quarterback. The only difference is the name on the back jersey.
In a weird way, they can thank Michael Vick for that.
Full Schedule
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Despite dropping a big one in their homestand against the Baltimore Orioles and the Cincinnati Reds, the Braves have maintained a steady lead in the NL East over the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals.
It’s a bit a miracle, to be quite frank, because the baseball gods should have made Atlanta pay for losing consecutive series against two last place teams. One of which, the O’s, is the worst team in all of baseball (and outside of Kansas City, it’s not even close).
But the Braves escaped from that abysmal stretch pretty much unscathed and have been plenty appreciative thus far on their current road trip, putting up big numbers in the first two games against St. Louis.
It’s a good sign that the Bravos can still beat good teams, because July is going to be a hell of test for Atlanta. Arguably this is a month that can prove that the Braves are for real or humble them in a big way.
Why? Because of who they are playing. The best records in the National League belong to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Atlanta Braves, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Chicago Cubs, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Nationals.
Beginning with the current series against St. Louis and excluding Atlanta itself because, duh, the Braves play every one of those teams except for Chicago and Philadelphia.
Not that missing the Cubs is much of a relief, because instead of that club the Braves are traveling to the Bronx for a three-game set against the Yankees, who have a significantly better record than anyone in the entire National League anyway.
There’s a two-game set against Toronto in the mix as well, but even they managed a split against Atlanta earlier in the season.
So, when I tell you that July is an important month, you can take that to the bank. The Braves have to win these series. Especially, because the Nationals play Miami EIGHT times during the month in addition to a six-game road trip against Pittsburgh and the Mets.
Plus, Philadelphia gets treated to series against those same Reds and Orioles that Atlanta should have stomped. The Phillies get a home series versus the Padres and play the Marlins and Pirates as well.
This would be the time, if I were a writer for a publication in Pennsylvania, I would suggest that Philly needs to take advantage of the schedule discrepancy and put pressure on Atlanta. Especially, considering that the Phillies and Braves won’t play each other until two of the last three series of the season.
On the flip side, that is what makes it so important that the Braves come out of this month not having lost any ground to the teams below them, Philadelphia in particular.
Just as they won’t be able to control their own fate if they are behind, so too will the Braves lack the ability to widen the standings (or worse, make a comeback) in head-to-head matchups until the campaign is almost over.
Atlanta will play Washington in one series per month for the rest of the year, including in July. I would argue it’s actually more important that they keep Washington down by playing well during these dog days of summer.
The Nationals still feel like a sleeping dragon. If they manage to climb to the top of the standings and subsequently start playing at the level at which they are capable, they will be very difficult to unseat as division leaders.
Make no mistake, this is going to be a very tough month for Atlanta and me saying ‘they need to play well’ seems obvious and easy.
However, come October, this may prove to be the most important month of the season for the National League East.
Bullpen Needs Horses
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Sam Freeman came in with a 5-3 lead to start the seventh inning Wednesday and gave up a leadoff walk and a pair of two-out singles, all those runners eventually scored and sent the Reds to a series-clinching win at SunTrust Park.
This all of a sudden is becoming a recurring theme for the Atlanta Braves. The starter gives you 6-7 quality innings and the bullpen comes in to blow it.
The Nationals went out and got Kelvin Herrera from the Royals and looked poised to make a run now in the NL East with that starting pitching they have.
Sam Freeman had a 2.94 ERA through May. Since then he has an 8.16 ERA with 13 earned runs and 6 walks allowed in 14-1/3 innings. The Braves are 4-11 in those games and he got three of the losses.
It appears I am piling on Sam Freeman, but the entire bullpen is struggling right now. The Braves still lead the NL East going into July so what will they do to address the issue?
Doing nothing is not an option at this point. Freddie Freeman is having an MVP season, Ozzie Albies is having a ROY season and the rotation is providing quality start after quality start. Braves have lost back to back series against the Orioles the worst team in baseball and the last place Reds who are hot currently but still in last place.
Look at these ERA’s over the past 7 appearances by these bullpen members:
Dan Winker: 8.10
Sam Freeman: 10.57
Peter Moylan: 12.46
This Braves team is good enough to contend but has to get better production out of the middle relievers. Yes, I know pitching staffs struggle from time to time but this is becoming a trend that needs to be addressed.
So, what do the Braves do before the deadline for bullpen help? Arodys Vizcaino is on the DL and he worries me every time he pitches. With no true closer available the woes of the bullpen are magnified.
I was in San Diego last week and caught a Padres game while in town. San Diego is in last place but has one of the best bullpens in baseball. Braves need arms in the pen. Why not call the Padres and ask for Craig Stammen, Kirby Yates or both?
How about Joe Jimenez from the Tigers? Jimenez has 43 strikeouts in 38 innings this year for the Tigers who are not going anywhere fast. The Tigers also have Shane Greene, who is their closer currently, but could step in as a setup or middle relief man in Atlanta.
Yates has a 0.82 ERA in 33 games for the Padres this year. Stammen has a 2.65 ERA in 34 games this year in San Diego.
These are all options for the Braves to pursue. Not to pursue bullpen options to match what Washington did with Herrera would infuriate the Braves fan base after such a great start to 2018.
Braves front office please go out and get some pitching help for the stretch run. Don’t waste this great start.
The Super Teams
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NBA season is over and Golden State won another championship. I’m sure that surprised nobody. I have to wonder if dynasties are bad for the NBA? In addition, can a team be assembled that can stop them?
I have to admit Kevin Durant didn’t invent the super team. The 1998-99 Houston Rockets had Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley, two perennial All-Stars. It was a lockout shortened season and Scottie Pippen was traded to the Rockets in exchange for Roy Rogers and a 2nd round pick in the 2000 NBA Draft (Jake Voskuhl was later selected).
There were chemistry problems with the three super stars. Despite averaging a career high in minutes per game with 40.2 and finishing 4th in the NBA in minutes played, Pippen averaged 14.5 points per game, his lowest since his rookie year, and he made a career-low 43.2 percent of his shots. He also averaged 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists and was named to the NBA All-Defensive first team for the 8th time.
Barkley played 42 regular-season games and managed 16.1 points on .478 shooting and 12.3 rebounds per game. Houston finished the season with a 31-19 record. They lost in the first round to the Los Angeles Lakers 3-1. This is a perfect example of super stars teaming up and failing.
The 2003-04 Lakers are another example. LA won three consecutive titles before San Antonio won it all in 2002-03. Los Angeles responded by adding Gary Payton and Karl Malone to the roster. On paper, they seemed to be one of the most talented teams ever assembled but they lost to Detroit in the Finals, 4-1.
The modern template for great players teaming up is the 2010-11 Miami Heat. LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwayne Wade in South Beach. That team made it to four consecutive NBA Finals and won two of them.
We have seen examples that the perceived team with more talent does not always win. Right now, Golden State is head and shoulders above the rest of the league. The Warriors were 73-9 in 2015-16, which was the best record ever. They lost to Cleveland in the Finals. After that season, Durant joined them and the rest is history.
Now I have to wonder if anything can slow the Warriors down? Durant has said that he plans to re-sign with the team.
Mychal Thompson, former NBA player and father of guard Klay Thompson revealed that his son likely will not sign a contract extension with Golden State this summer.
That will drastically affect the team if Thompson leaves. Him paired with Steph Curry is the best backcourt in the league. He’s also one of the best three-point shooters in the game.
We do not have an idea of where Thompson will land. The biggest names in free agency are LeBron and Paul George. They are rumored to head to LA and join forces. Kawhi Leonard is still under contract with San Antonio but he is demanding a trade. Los Angeles is also his desired destination according to the media. Boston is also a rumored landing spot.
We will have a better idea of how everything will play out when free agency officially begins. I can’t foresee another team being able to overtake the Warriors in 2018-19 but we can only hope.
Keep Your Hands To Yourself
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When you’re the number one draft pick, especially at quarterback, there is a lot riding on your shoulders. Obviously, you have the pressure of performing on the field, but you also have some off the field expectations you must live up to.
In the past those obligations would include you being a spokesperson and philanthropist within your community, as well as being a role model for the younger generation.
Not saying that always has happened, but those were general guidelines. Nowadays the organizations are asking for the minimum requirement of basically “don’t embarrass us“.
Jameis Winston has a decent, albeit inconsistent job, with his on the field performance. It’s his off the field actions that aren’t holding up their end of the bargain.
By now I’m sure you’re aware he is danger of being suspended for at least 3 games this season, which games and ultimately how many will depend on if he appeals or not, for allegedly groping an Uber driver back in 2016. (The charges are officially filed in November, 2017.)
Over the next few months, while this whole thing plays out, there will be people much more intelligent and articulate than I am, writing about its implications, both within the framework of the NFL as well as socially. So, for now, I’ll take the juvenile approach and focus on Winston’s story of what took place that night.
According to Jameis there were three men in the Uber. Winston, Ronald Darby, and an unnamed third man whom according to Winston and Darby is the actual person who groped the 26-year-old female driver.
Here is why I don’t buy that story. We’ve all seen enough movies, Netflix Documentaries, and episodes of “Entourage” to know there is a pecking order when it comes to friendships.
You have the main guy who is bringing in the money. No matter what he gets himself into, he can’t take the fall.
Then you have the second in the command, normally the brains of the operation, who is in charge of trying to keep the main guy out of trouble.
Lastly, you have the fall guy. He’s the guy that could literally be passed out in the backseat, but if the main guy gets pulled over for doing 120 in a 35 his butt’s getting yanked from the backseat up to the front before the cop can get to the window.
Yet in Jameis’ situation, that’s not really what’s taking place. I mean yeah, he’s blaming it on the fall guy, but if he’s not willing to name who that third guy actually is, then essentially Winston has become that guy.
And look, I know there’s a bro code and it’s not cool to be a narc; I get all that. But, if I am the number one draft pick; the franchise quarterback; I have been accused of sexual assault in the past; and I am truly innocent, you’re damn right I’m going to attach a name to that third person.
And if that makes me a bad friend, too bad; you should’ve kept your hands to yourself in the first place.
The only way I’m buying this story is if the unnamed person happens to be Dirk Koetter.
Truth is, this is a serious accusation. And if found to be true, should have significant repercussions. If Winston truly is innocent, as he claims, he needs to start acting like it. So far, he’s spending his time trying to be good friend, instead of a better person.
Atlanta Hawks Flying In The Right Direction?
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NBA draft, it’s that magical time of year when professional teams will seek out new stars for their franchise.
It’s that time when players who were forced to waste a year of their lives going to college when they were destined to end up in the NBA anyway finally meet their destiny.
It’s that time when the Atlanta Hawks and all their brethren teams are put under the microscope so we can judge whether or not their choices stack up against logic.
In any pro sport, the team at the top of the mountain will always inspire a slew of imitators. Franchises will reset their entire way of thinking based on whoever has been winning in the league.
For the past several years, the team being imitated has been, of course, the Golden State Warriors. The Hawks, in the beginning stages of their rebuild, are attempting to use the Golden State model to get back to winning ways.
GM Travis Schlenk’s deal that ended with Luka Doncic as a Maverick wasn’t without its critics, but he sees the fruit of that deal. Trae Young is expected to be the centerpiece of Atlanta’s team for years to come. In short, Schlenk has attempted to provide the Hawks with their own Steph Curry. In his only college season, he became the only player to lead the NCAA in both points and assists.
The plan to draft shooters continued later on the first round when the Hawks picked up Maryland’s Kevin Huerter. The comparison there is, if you can believe it, Klay Thompson.
So, the Hawks have their Curry and they have their Thompson but here’s the problem: Trae Young is not Steph Curry, and Kevin Huerter is not Klay Thompson.
On top of that, there isn’t a Kevin Durant among Atlanta’s draft picks either. It’s not that these pieces can’t evolve into top-tier talent, but Steph Curry is an all-time talent. Thompson is an elite player. The Warriors making it to Finals after Finals isn’t just because they have these types of players, but because they have legendary versions of those players.
Neither Young nor Huerter are likely to turn into that. They’ve got upside, but not the kind of guaranteed prospect that Durant was.
Schlenk went after shooters as a priority in this draft, but in doing so picked players who might have a lower ceiling than you might usually find in the first round, especially in the top 5. The Hawks may very well have gotten themselves stuck for the future.
For example, the Hawks picked up Omari Spellman, who can shoot, instead of talents like Khryi Thomas or Keita Bates-Doip, who had fallen back and were available when Atlanta was up at 30.
There were also some questionable choices like trading their #34 pick. Why trade that one pick for two second rounders from Charlotte? Schlenk has never heard that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
At the end of the day, no one really knows for certain how these things will turn out. Even surefire hits turn out to be misses (looking at you Greg Oden). The path that Schlenk and the Hawks have chosen to go down is an obvious one – ape the champs – but it is far from a one that guarantees success.
These draft picks will need to play up to their potential and maybe beyond it every game, and Atlanta will still need to investigate bringing in additional players. It’s not out of the question for Atlanta to have success, but it’s a tough road to navigate.
