The NBA Draft lottery has come and gone and while the NBA Combine is wrapping up in Chicago, the talk is all revolving around the Atlanta Hawks and the potential fit for two Kentucky guards.
The Hawks won the lottery last weekend and were awareded with the top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft this summer. Now, the discussion is; who will they take?
Well, a pair of Kentucky prospects are 'under consideration' for the top pick according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony.
Givony mentioned a group of five players who will be in the mix for the Hawks and that included Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham.
While Sheppard turned heads this week during the combine, Dillingham didn't measure as well and then dealt with an injury early on that sidelined him for the remainder of the week.
Both players are locked into being top-10 picks, but this is the first time you're starting to get some clarity around the core group of players at or near the top.
While the Hawks still have point guard Trae Young, there have been rumors over the last few weeks that with their top overall pick, they could move Young and start a total rebuild. If that's the case, a guard would be a top priority.
Most mock drafts have both Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham going anywhere from picks 3-8, so it is a bit of a surprise to see Givony mention the duo as potential top picks. Most mocks also have Sheppard as the first part of the duo coming off of the board.
Both players are coming off of terrific freshman seasons at Kentucky and in a draft class that is labeled as 'historically bad' by numerous analysts, the potential to keep rising up the draft boards is clearly possible.
Next up for both will be individual workouts, a place both players will likely stand out in.
Some of the other players mentioned alongside Sheppard and Dillingham for the top spot were Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher and Donovan Clingan.