ZBlogS

In most draft cycles, the No. 1 pick would be established by now—or usually long before now, actually. But this is not one of those drafts.

While Wasserman and the ESPN crew both mocked French forward Zaccharie Risacher to the Atlanta Hawks at No. 1, Vecenie instead has them taking UConn center Donovan Clingan:

"One reason: Clingan is the name I have heard linked with the Hawks most often over this past week. He wouldn't be the sexiest pick, but would fill a few objectives for Atlanta. Firstly, the organization has not yet shown any indication of rebuilding, so it might prefer to select a player who can fit with its roster sooner rather than later. Secondly, coach Quin Snyder had success in Utah building around an elite big man screener and rim protector in Rudy Gobert. Clingan, who impressed in a recent workout for Atlanta, would provide the Hawks a potentially dominant interior presence and high-character big locked up for the near term."

Clingan, for context, was the No. 6 pick (to the Charlotte Hornets) for Wasserman and the No. 7 selection (to the Portland Trail Blazers) for the ESPN crew.

Vecenie left Risacher on the board until the No. 4 pick, where he joined Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. According to Vecenie, experts have questions surrounding every top prospect in this class. For Risacher, specifically, it's about whether he possesses "significant athletic upside," while the worries with Clingan are if he "can stay on the court in the playoffs."

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