When the Hawks were picking at No. 23 last night, one of the players that was on the board and thought to be in consideration was North Carolina center Henri Veesaar. Veesaar was one of the top centers at the point in the draft and would have been a totally reasonable pick for Atlanta at No. 23. However, Atlanta selected Saint John's big man Zuby Ejiofor, and Veesaar slipped out of the first round altogether. Veesaar continued to take an unexpected tumble in this year's draft and was facing a lot of criticism about his decision to leave college for the NBA, spurning lots of NIL money in the process and falling farther than anyone thought. His fall ended at No. 52, however, when the Atlanta Hawks traded up from No. 57 to select him. Veesaar becomes the third draft pick for the Hawks in this year's draft, joining a class that includes Houston PG Kingston Flemings and the aforementioned Ejiorfor. Now that the Hawks have another big man on their roster, how does he fit and what kind of grade should Atlanta get for selecting himFirst thoughts on Veesaar Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) celebrates after a play against the VCU Rams in the first half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn ImagesThere was some criticism about the Hawks taking Ejiofor last night, not because of his skillset necessarily, but because he was another undersized big. Veesaar stands at 6'11, 227 LBS and he is going to give the Hawks size on the interior, strong rebounding, and can stretch the floor as a big, which is a skill that the Hawks value. After transferring to North Carolina from Arizona, Veesaar proceeded to have the best season of his college career. He started 31 games for the Tar Heels and averaged 17.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, and 2.1 APG while shooting 62% from the floor and 43% from three. Veesaar had decent volume as a three point shooter as well averaging three attempts per game. There is a lot to like about how he is going to translate to the NBA level. There is one big concern with Veesaar and it is his defense. If there is one on-court reason Veesaar slipped this far in the draft, it is because he is quite a poor defender. He lacks quickness and lateral movement as a rim protector, does not operate well in space, and is going to be targeted heavily at the next level. For him to become a viable big in the NBA, even if just a backup, Veesaar is going to have to become a much better defender. Still, his skillset on offense is a huge plus this late in the draft. The Hawks are going to have some decisions to make with their roster and there is no guarantee that Veesaar is going to make it on a guaranteed contract. I think this is a wonderful pick though by the Hawks, as he fills a huge need and was the best player available by far. The Atlanta front office continues to preach best player available and this selection is further proof of that. Grade: A-Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow