Hawks select Adreian Payne with the No. 15 pick in 2014 NBA Draft

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The Atlanta Hawks selected Michigan State forward Adreian Payne with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft on Thursday night.

Despite being one of the older prospects in the draft, it's possible the Hawks got a real steal here with Payne. The benefits of drafting a more seasoned player, while they may come with the caveat of a lower upside, is that the team is going to get four years further along on his development curve rather than paying for development time. That is to say, Payne is ready to pay dividends now.

Related: 1 on 1 with NBA prospect Adreian Payne

He'll do that by providing versatile offense, stretching opposing bigs out to the 3-point line, and then threatening to post them up or sneaking open with savvy off-ball movement. Defensively, Payne isn't a home run, but it's possible that with a bout of mono now behind him, he can add lower body strength in the offseason and at least work towards being average in that regard.

It comes as a bit of a surprise to see Payne come off the board prior to teammate Gary Harris, but Payne worked hard on improving his game, extending the range of his jumper. A stretch four with a strong post game, he offers the Hawks some versatility up front in a rotation with Al Horford and Paul Millsap.

You can read more about Payne in our scouting report.