Hawks given good NBA Draft reminder amid Knicks playoff series

Hawks given good NBA Draft reminder amid Knicks playoff series originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Atlanta Hawks are battling hard against the New York Knicks in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

That's why some may do a double take as mock drafts come out with the Hawks picking in the top-10.

For example, ESPN's Jeremy Woo released a new mock draft on Tuesday that has the Hawks taking Houston guard Kingston Flemings with the No. 7 overall pick.

But it's a good reminder -- that's the Pelicans' pick that the Hawks fleeced in last year's Derik Queen trade.

It's definitely not a reality that the rest of the Eastern Conference can be too happy about. The Hawks have figured out how to be a dangerous team after trading away Trae Young, and now they can add a piece like Flemings?

"Atlanta won the 7/8 tiebreak with Dallas, a favorable draw that gives it higher priority if neither pick jumps on lottery night," Woo writes. "Without a long-term point guard on the roster, the Hawks are another team that will look hard at the backcourt players in the lottery. They won't need to rely immediately on whoever they select, and Flemings would be a good developmental fit, provided the Hawks believe in his shooting development."