The Atlanta Hawks selected Wake Forest forward John Collins with the 19th overall pick in the first round and Oregon guard Tyler Dorsey (41st overall) and French forward Alpha Kaba (60th overall) in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft.
An early-entry candidate, the 6’10 Collins averaged 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 26.6 minutes (.622 FG%, .745 FT%) in 33 games (all starts) as a sophomore on his way to garnering All-ACC First Team and ACC Most Improved Player honors, as well as Second Team All-America recognition by the Basketball Times. He led the conference in FG% and 20-point/10-rebound games (10), while ranking second in rebounding and third in scoring in helping the Demon Deacons to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.
“We’re very excited to add John to the Atlanta Hawks,” said Hawks General Manager and Head of Basketball Operations Travis Schlenk. “He’s a guy we had pegged higher up on the draft boards than the 19th spot. We love his athleticism, his ability to score, his rebounding, so we’re looking forward to getting him down here.”
For his career, Collins tallied 13.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 20.7 minutes (.601 FG%, .729 FT%) in 64 games (34 starts). As a freshman, he averaged 7.3 points and 3.9 rebounds in 14.4 minutes (.547 FG% – tops on the team) in 31 contests (one starting assignment).
Also an early-entry candidate, Dorsey averaged 14.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 30.0 minutes (.467 FG%, .423 3FG%, .755 FT%) in 39 games (all starts) as a sophomore during the Ducks’ run to the Final Four, while earning Pac-12 Honorable Mention and Pac-12 All-Tournament Team honors. As a freshman, the 6’5 guard posted 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 30.1 minutes (.441 FG%, .406 3FG%, .712 FT%) in 36 outings (35 starts), and was named to Pac-12 All-Freshman and All-Tournament teams. He finished his two-year career with averages of 14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 30.0 minutes (.455 FG%, .416 3FG%, .732 FT%) in 75 games (74 starting assignments).
“Dorsey, obviously, is a great shooter, he can really get going offensively as we saw in the NCAA Tournament,” said Schlenk. “The other thing we like about him is that he’s a very good secondary ball handler. He can put the ball on the floor, run the pick-and-roll and create plays for others.”
A former McDonald’s All-American, Dorsey holds dual citizenship from the United States and Greece. In 2015, he competed for the Greek U19 National Team at the FIBA U19 World Championships.
Kaba, a native of France, has played the last two seasons with the Serbian team Mega Leks in the Adriatic League after playing with Pau-Orthez in his home country’s Pro A League in 2014-15. Last year, in 25 games of Adriatic League play, the 6’10 forward recorded 10.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 24.6 minutes (.507 FG%, .683 FT%).
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