The latest NBA mock draft from The Athletic has Donovan Clingan going No. 1 overall to the Hawks

Well this would be spicy on NBA Draft night.

There’s been some buzz about Donovan Clingan as a possible No. 1 pick but not a ton of mock draft love getting him to the Atlanta Hawks.

In our latest NBA mock from Bryan Kalbrosky, he’s at No. 7 to the Portland Trail Blazers. But in the latest from The Athletic, Sam Vecenie has him going as the top pick to the Hawks, who may want the best player available in what’s looking like a weak draft class.

Why would the UConn big man go at that point? Here’s what Vecenie had to say about it:

Clingan is the name I have heard linked with the Hawks most often over this past week. He wouldn’t be the sexiest pick, but would fill a few objectives for Atlanta. Firstly, the organization has not yet shown any indication of rebuilding, so it might prefer to select a player who can fit with its roster sooner rather than later. Secondly, coach Quin Snyder had success in Utah building around an elite big man screener and rim protector in Rudy Gobert. Clingan, who impressed in a recent workout for Atlanta, would provide the Hawks a potentially dominant interior presence and high-character big locked up for the near term.

Intriguing! Check out our latest NBA mock draft, the latest “consensus” mock draft showing who all the experts are picking, and the official draft order.