The Atlanta Hawks have a lottery pick incoming. What should they do if it lands first?
Atlanta Hawks fans are watching the Tankathon standings closely — not because of their own record, but because of whose pick they own.
The Hawks control the Pelicans' 2026 first-rounder. New Orleans is near the bottom of the standings with no way out, and Atlanta gets the benefit. [standings graphic]
So who should they take if it lands at number one?
The field narrows to three candidates: BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Kansas' Darryn Peterson, and Duke's Cameron Boozer.
Boozer is not the pick. Nothing against him as a prospect — he's a skilled, high-IQ player who will have a long NBA career. The problem is fit. His skillset overlaps too much with Jalen Johnson, and the Hawks don't need another playmaking four, particularly one who comes with questions on the defensive end. Even if Boozer grades out as the second-best prospect in the class, Atlanta should be selecting for upside and fit. He checks neither box here. Move on.
Peterson is more intriguing and makes a stronger case from a roster-building standpoint. He's the best scoring guard in this class, capable of creating his own shot at multiple levels and getting to the free-throw line. If the Hawks are looking for a player who can inject perimeter creation into a lineup that already has Johnson and Kuminga doing their work closer to the basket, Peterson fits that mold on paper.
The issue is playmaking. At Kansas this season, he averaged as many turnovers as assists — 1.6 apiece. That assist number is far too low to project him as a lead guard at the next level, and it raises real questions about whether his game translates when defenses are schemed specifically to take away his scoring. Guards who can't process the game as playmakers tend to hit a ceiling quickly in the NBA. Peterson may grow out of it, but it's a red flag that's hard to overlook with the top pick on the line.
Dybantsa is a different conversation entirely. The knock on him is shot selection — he's comfortable operating in the midrange, which raises eyebrows in an era that has largely abandoned that part of the floor — but that's a correctable habit rather than a structural flaw. Coaches can work with a player who takes the wrong shots. It's much harder to develop floor vision in a player who doesn't have it.
Some Hawks fans might hesitate given the presence of Jonathan Kuminga, a similar wing type who has shown real growth since arriving in Atlanta. That's an understandable concern. It's not a good enough reason to pass on the best prospect in the class.
Dybantsa is the consensus number one. If Atlanta lands that pick, there's no justification for going in another direction. Kuminga's development is encouraging, inconsistencies included, but the Hawks shouldn't let satisfaction with one player cost them a generational talent at the top of the board.
Boozer is a reasonable fallback if the organization genuinely believes he's the superior prospect — though that would put them at odds with most evaluators. Peterson's playmaking limitations are going to show up at the NBA level. He may work it out over time, but that's a risk you don't take at number one.
For now, Hawks fans have one job: root for the Pelicans to lose.