NBA Draft: 5 Best Picks by the Atlanta Hawks Since 1980

In the upcoming NBA draft on June 23rd, the Atlanta Hawks have just one selection, and it falls in the second round. 

The franchise will have to make good on that 48th overall pick if it's going to have any shot at any sort of notable improvement in the next season. 

Of course, it's possible that the Hawks absolutely nail the pick and draft a player that will eventually end up on a list much like this one, but it's unlikely, given the management's history. 

Read on for the five best picks the Hawks have made since 1980. 

5. Stacey Augmon

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2 Feb 1996: Orlando Magic forward Dennis Scott guards Atlanta Hawks forward Stacey Augmon during game at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida. The Magic won the game 108-95. Mandatory Credit: Allsport /Allsport

Stacey Augmon, the Plastic Man, as so many grew to know him as, was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 9 pick of the 1991 NBA draft, right in between Mark Macon and Brian Williams. 

Augmon played five seasons for the Hawks before moving on to the Detroit Pistons, Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets and Orlando Magic. But even though just five of his 15 seasons in the league were spent in Atlanta, it's still where the bulk of his production occurred. 

The tweener made the All-Rookie first team in 1992 after putting up 13.3 points, 5.1 rebounds (a career high), 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.3 blocks per game. He would post comparable numbers during each of the next four years, topping out at 14.8 points per game during the 1993-1994 season, before collapsing after he moved to Detroit. 

After the move, Augmon would never average even six points per game again. 

4. Josh Smith

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ATLANTA, GA - MAY 08: Josh Smith #5 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts after a foul was overturned as an inadvertent whistle to the Hawks possession against the Chicago Bulls in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs at Phillips

Even though I'm fully advocating that the Atlanta Hawks trade Josh Smith during this offseason, as are many others, he's still one of the five best draft picks that the franchise has made during the past 30 years. 

Back in 2004, the Hawks selected the young forward straight out of Oak Grove High School with the 17th pick of the first round and they never regretted the decision. 

Smith rewarded Atlanta immediately with a selection to the All-Rookie second team in 2005 and followed that up with a Slam Dunk championship and a selection to the All-Defensive team in 2010.

For a while now, he's been a fringe All-Star player capable of taking over the game on either side of the court. 

For his career to this point, Smith is averaging 14.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.2 blocks per game. He's absolutely a stat-stuffer capable of filling up the columns in each and every category. 

But even then, there's more to the story than just stats. No. 5 has been a defensive stalwart for a long time, thanks in part to that blocking prowess. He's also been part of the reason that Phillips Arena has become the Highlight Factory, thanks to his penchant for highlight-reel plays. 

3. Jason Terry

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ATLANTA - MARCH 31: Jason Terry #31 of the Miami Heat reacts after the play against the Atlanta Hawks during the game at Philips Arena on March 31, 2004 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Heat won 100-97. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that

You might currently know him as the shooting guard that keeps hitting big threes for the finals-bound Dallas Mavericks, but Jason Terry did once belong to the Atlanta Hawks.

Jet was originally drafted by the Hawks in 1999 when they deemed him worthy of the 10th overall pick. 

Terry would spend five seasons in the A-Town before being traded to Dallas, but during that time, he established himself as the best player in Atlanta. While the only All-Something team he was selected to during his Hawks tenure was the All-Rookie second team, Terry was still a highly valued contributor. 

His best season came during the 2000-2001 campaign when the shooting guard averaged a career-high 19.7 points to go along with his 3.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. At the end of the 2002-2003 season, Terry's stat sheet showed that he had averaged a career-high 7.4 assists per game, but his scoring had taken a dip to counteract his extra passing. 

Terry may have been a fantastic player for the Hawks over those five seasons, but his inclusion on this list this high up is still a testament to how poor the Hawks management's drafting skills have been since 1980. 

2. Kevin Willis

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SEATTLE - NOVEMBER 5: Kevin Willis #42 of the Atlanta Hawks is on the court during the game against the Seattle Sonics at Key Arena on November 5, 2004 in Seattle, Washington. The Sonics won 106-85. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agree

Kevin Willis, the 7'0" power forward and center from Michigan State, was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 11 pick in the 1984 NBA draft, and he went on to do big things for the franchise. 

Now the holder of many NBA records for longevity, Willis spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Hawks and then played one more season with them in 2004-2005.

His best season came in 1992 when he was selected to both the All-NBA third team and the All-Star team. Those honors were mostly due to his line of 18.3 points, 15.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. 

The big man was a consistent double-double threat for the duration of his time in Atlanta and helped them win quite a few games. 

1. Doc Rivers

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LOS ANGELES - JANUARY 1: Glenn Rivers #25 of the Atlanta Hawks rests, during the NBA game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles, California on January 1, 1988. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that,

Now prowling the sidelines for the Boston Celtics as the head coach, a role which we recently learned he would continue on with for a few more years, Doc Rivers once ran the Atlanta Hawks from the point guard position. 

It all started when he was drafted in the second round of the 1983 NBA draft with the 31st overall selection. Rivers, who excelled as a guard at Marquette, would go on to become the biggest draft-day steal for the Hawks in recent history. 

Paired up with Dominique Wilkins in the starting lineup for seven seasons, Rivers helped the Hawks achieve a level of success that would not have otherwise been possible. 

The point guard's finest season came in 1988 when he made the All-Star squad behind 14.2 points and 9.3 assists per game, one year after averaging a double-double in the same two categories.