The Atlanta Hawks hold the No. 8 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and may have to choose between Kingston Flemings and Mikel Brown Jr. Here's the safer bet.
Most NBA fans are locked into the playoffs. That said, there's no shortage of fans around the league who are looking a little bit ahead, to the 2026 NBA draft. Atlanta Hawks fans are among them, and they have a real decision looming at No. 8.
This year, the top four picks are set, even if the order isn't. AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson will hear their names called in the top four. Any other outcome would shock the world. At the fifth spot, the draft gets interesting.
Conventional wisdom would have the Los Angeles Clippers grabbing Darius Acuff Jr., but having acquired Darius Garland at the trade deadline, they may look elsewhere. Some analysts have linked them to popular Atlanta Hawks target Aday Mara.
The Hawks pick eighth. If the Clippers take Mara, and Acuff (and Keaton Wagler) are off the board, the Hawks will likely be left choosing between Kingston Flemings and Mikel Brown Jr.
Which choice should they prefer?
The Hawks may face a tough draft decision
Let's be clear: This is a worst-case scenario. It's also the most likely scenario.
Hawks fans, welcome to the NBA draft.
That's not a knock on either Flemings or Brown. They're both solid prospects. With the eighth overall pick, the Hawks should not be banking on drafting a superstar, although Brown may have that type of potential as a 6'5" point guard.
He's got outstanding floor vision and creativity. That said, there are concerns with his game. Brown is turnover-prone, and he'd ideally improve on his 34.4% three-point shooting.
Flemings is a different sort of prospect. He's got blinding speed, but his handle needs some work. His three-point efficiency was a solid 38.7%, but his volume was low. Flemings can hit a catch-and-shoot triple, but he's not much of a shot creator. He's got solid size at 6'4", but a neutral wingspan. Despite that shortcoming, he's a stout, disruptive defender.
So which should the Hawks prefer?
Hawks should make a safe choice in the NBA draft
I'm going with Flemings.
Brown has a higher ceiling, but if he doesn't reach it, it feels harder to scale his game down. If he doesn't improve as a shooter, what is Brown's place in the league?
By contrast, Flemings only needs to up his three-point volume, and he'll be a solid NBA player. He has a much higher floor.
He's also nearly exactly what the Hawks need in their backcourt.
Largely, this comes down to the presence of Jalen Johnson. The Hawks already have their primary playmaker. At pick eight, chasing a higher-risk, higher-ceiling player isn't automatically the right move. Securing a probable long-term, starting-caliber player is the smarter move here with a franchise playmaker already in hand. If Flemings and Brown are the two best prospects left on the board, Flemings is the best choice for the Hawks.
Rest assured, the front office is already thinking about it.