2017 NBA Mock Draft: New York Knicks and the value of the point guard

19. Atlanta Hawks: Andzejs Pasecniks, Gran Canaria

Position: Center
Age: 21 (12/20/1995)
Height & Weight: 7’2″ & 229 pounds
2016-17 Slash Line: .652/.444/.564
2016-17 Season Averages: 15.5 MPG, 7.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.2 ORPG, 0.7 BPG

An international big man going higher than expected in the NBA Draft is comparable to a No. 12 seed upsetting a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. At some point, we start to expect it so much that when it happens, we have to fake our shock and awe.

In this instance, the Atlanta Hawks take a chance on a big man who could represent an elevation of the organization’s sustained stretch of success.

Pasecniks is a Latvian center with fluid athleticism and a similar skill set to countryman Kristaps Porzingis. He has a lethal midrange game and expanding 3-point range, a la Al Horford. The difference is that he possesses those gifts at 7’1”, thus giving him the makings of a matchup nightmare.

Pasecniks is also an excellent pick and roll player with soft hands and the target radius to catch just about every pass thrown his way for finishes in the paint—the type of presence Dennis Schröder would benefit from playing with.

The key to Pasecniks’ development will be whether or not he learns to embrace the physicality of the game. It’s been the biggest question he’s faced during his Liga ACB tenure, as he’s failed to tap into his defensive potential due to the physical nature of the more experienced players.

Nevertheless, he has the size, length, and athleticism to be a shot-blocker in the NBA.

The New York Knicks would likely entertain pairing Latvian national team teammates Pasecniks and Porzingis in the NBA, but Willy Hernangomez already has the center position locked down.