Charlotte Hornets 2019 NBA Mock Draft Vol. 3: Full Two-Round Projections

With the Hawks second lottery pick, I see them looking for a young center. Texas freshman Jaxson Hayes is one of the best centers in the draft, and would really be a perfect fit with the exciting young core that Atlanta is building.

Hayes reminds me a lot of Clint Capela and Jarrett Allen. He’ll be an immediate lob threat for the Hawks, and playing with a point guard like Trae Young will give him a lot of open looks. He’s so athletic and tends to typically finish with authority around the basket.

The 6’11” center averaged 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds for Texas this past season. He shot 73 percent from the field, which is impressive, even though he mostly sticks around the basket and dunks everything. He also shot 74 percent from the foul line, an impressive number for him.

You can plug in Hayes as the starting center in Atlanta right away, unless they look to sign a veteran big man to help him develop. Playing with multiple other deadly scorers, Hayes could get a lot of open shots. I love the fit for him in Atlanta and really don’t see him falling past the tenth spot in this draft.