The Atlanta Hawks have never been a franchise that gets much shine nationally. Sure, they’re on the East Coast, but they’re still located in the South, which doesn’t necessarily get as much attention sports-wise – unless we’re talking about SEC football.
Furthermore, whenever the Hawks have had a high draft pick – which has not been often – the team takes a good player (such as Marvin Williams), when a future superstar is on the board (like Chris Paul). Similarly, sometimes the team is gifted a higher pick, only to see the player taken one slot above them turn into a generational talent (which is what happened in 2007, when Kevin Durant was taken one spot ahead of the Atlanta Hawks’ selection of Al Horford #3 overall).