Atlanta Hawks: How Good Can Their Recent Draft Picks Be?

In the final part of my three-article series about the Atlanta Hawks' drafting history since 1990, I'm going to take a look at the five selections that the franchise has made in the last four years.

So far, I've analyzed all the picks that the Hawks have made and come up with the 10-best picks and the 10-worst picks, all based on a formula that you can find fully explained on either of those two articles. If you haven't checked either of them out, I would highly recommend doing so before clicking through this one so that the next eight slides make more sense. 

Once you've done that, read on to see how the eight most recent picks fit in.  

Jeff Teague (No. 19 in 2009)

To just break even with the expectations associated with his draft selection at No. 19 in the 2009 NBA draft, Jeff Teague has to earn 7.4 win shares over the first four years of his career. 

Through the first two years of his career as a point guard for the Atlanta Hawks, Teague earned 2.3 of the 7.4 win shares he needed. But so far this season, in his fist year as the full-time starter, the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon has earned 2.5 win shares. 

If he maintains his current pace, he'll finish this season with 5.9 win shares, bringing his three-year total to 8.2. 

Teague looks like he could be a special player at this position and a mainstay in the 1-spot for the Hawks. Even if he doesn't improve at all and maintains his current pace through a full 82-game season as a fourth-year player, he'll earn yet another 6.7 win shares and bring his final four-year total to 14.9.

Those numbers would give him a Difference of 7.5 and make him the seventh-best pick since 1990 for the franchise. And remember, this is a conservative estimate that doesn't account for any improvement at all.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if Teague ends up challenging Stacey Augmon for the No. 3 slot in the best picks rankings. 

Sergiy Gladyr (No. 49 in 2009)

Sergiy Gladyr has never played a game in the NBA and most likely never will. 

As a result, he'll finish his career with a Difference of -1.8 thanks to the 1.8 win shares that are associated with the No. 49 pick according to my formula. 

While that's obviously not a good thing, Gladyr won't find himself anywhere near the bottom 10 draft picks since 1990 for the Atlanta Hawks.

Jordan Crawford (No. 27 in 2010)

As a caveat, I'm not a fan of players like Jordan Crawford, who defy their conscience and continue to shoot the basketball even though it's a detriment to their team's success most of the time. 

Crawford scored 11.9 points per game as a rookie for the Atlanta Hawks, but he did so on 38.4 percent shooting from the field, so I really would have preferred if he took far fewer shots and didn't score as much. 

The Hawks traded the former Xavier guard to the Washington Wizards where he's continued to make superficial contributions. 

If you don't believe me that Crawford did more bad than good, just look at his win share totals. He earned -0.6 during his rookie season and has already earned another -0.5 as a second-year player. 

Unless he suddenly learns better shot selection, he's going to find himself without a job sooner rather than later. 

Crawford was drafted with the 27th pick of the 2010 NBA draft, so he needs to earn 5.3 win shares over the first four years of his career to break even. 

That's not happening and frankly, I'd be surprised if he even makes it back to 0.0. Crawford will find himself on the worst 10 picks since 1990 rankings if this keeps up. 

Pape Sy (No. 53 in 2010)

Not much is expected from No. 53 picks (1.4 win shares over four years), which is good news for Pape Sy. 

The French swingman has bounced between the Association, the D-League and foreign leagues so far. He's still just 23 years old, so there's a chance that he could make it, but I doubt he's ever going to make much of a name for himself in the NBA. 

Sy has played in just three games so far, posting 21 minutes with averages of 2.3 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game, and a total of 0.0 win shares. 

He's not going to find himself on the best-picks rankings, but he's not going to make it onto the worst-picks rankings either.

Keith Benson (No. 48 in 2011)

I was a huge fan of Keith Benson during his career with Oakland, and I was hoping that the Atlanta Hawks would use their lone pick of the 2011 NBA draft on the big man and then actually give him a chance. 

The first part happened, but the second didn't as the team waived him before the start of the season and he was picked up by the D-League's Sioux Falls Skyforce. 

Benson will eventually make it onto an NBA roster but he'll take a long time, if ever, to become a valuable contributor. 

Just like Pape Sy, Benson won't find himself on either list of extremes when it comes to the Atlanta Hawks' draft picks.