The Atlanta Hawks selected Omari Spellman in the 2018 NBA draft with the No. 30 overall pick.

Spellman is ready-made for the pace-and-space pro game after he spent two years at Villanova. No team in college basketball had a more NBA-like approach than the Wildcats, and Spellman was more important to their success than his numbers (10.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game) reflect.

The Hawks are getting an excellent spot-up shooter who can score from three levels. Spellman is also well-equipped defensively for the modern game. He is able to defend multiple positions and play both the 4 and 5. He has a skill set that should keep him in the league a long time.

Quick hitters

Size: 6'9¼"

Weight: 253.8 pounds

Wingspan: 7'2"

Reach: 8'11½"

Pro-player comparison: Markieff Morris

Offensive strengths

Spellman was one of college basketball's best spot-up shooters last season. He shot 43.3 percent from beyond the arc, and among players with at least 100 spot-up opportunities, he was the fifth-most efficient. He shot 50.5 percent with an adjusted percentage of 72.4 on those attempts. He comes from a system that encouraged big men to fire away from the perimeter, and he has excellent footwork and shot prep.

This is the value of coming out of Jay Wright's program. He preaches the fundamentals and does an excellent job of making them habits for his players. The coach also wants all of his guys to be able to dribble, shoot and pass, and Spellman spent a lot of time operating on the perimeter. This is a luxury he would not have had at a lot of programs. He handles and passes the ball well, which comes in handy when he's knocking down shots because he can attack a closeout and finish at the rim.

Spellman is also comfortable with working out of the post and will be a weapon against switch-heavy NBA defenses. If he gets a smaller opponent on him and the defense starts to shade his way, he is adept at finding shooters and delivering passes on time and on target.

Offensive weaknesses

For a player with Spellman's strength and coordination, he should be better at posting up. He scored just 0.806 points per possession on post-ups as a freshman.

Spellman needs to add variety to his post game. Most of his post-ups result in either a face-up jumper or a right jump hook. If he dribbles, he is persistent in trying to score over his left shoulder. Once coaches picked up on this, they had their players sit on Spellman's left shoulder, and he rarely flashed a countermove.

This should be a strength for Spellman and still could be if he gets more comfortable playing off his right shoulder.

Defensive outlook

Spellman slides his feet well for a man his size. He also does a good job using his length against perimeter players, giving enough space that he can recover if a guard tries to drive past him.

The ability to defend multiple positions and switch onto a guard in the pick-and-roll will serve him well and get him on the court immediately. Spellman's girth and strong lower body help him hold his ground against bigger players. He needs to work on his body and add quickness, which is something he improved greatly at Villanova.

Spellman's shot-blocking numbers were lower than you'd think—he had a 5.5 percent block rate—but he's effective at using his long wingspan and challenging shots around the rim. He has a tendency to give his opponent too much space on the catch (see video below), and that's an area where getting slightly quicker will give him the confidence to close off that space.

He's a terrific defensive rebounder and can grab errant shots outside of his area. That skill and his defensive versatility will make it easy to play him as a rookie. If he gets quicker, he could become an asset as a defender.

Projected role: Starter

Spellman can eventually become a starter as either a power forward or center. His role the next few years will likely be as a specialist bench player, such as a stretch center who provides shooting in smaller lineups. If he improves his post-up game, he could become a reliable double-digit scorer in a few years.

Defensively, his ceiling will depend on what he can do with his frame. If he continues to cut down on his body fat, which measured 13.75 at the combine (second-highest of those in attendance), he could provide a lot of value with his versatility.

Villanova's greatness was underappreciated until we saw what Wright's team did at the Final Four. It's possible we've also underestimated how good Spellman is because he played more of a complementary role while surrounded by so much talent. The foundation is there for him to become one of the league's most well-rounded bigs.

Stats courtesy of Sports Reference and Synergy Sports. Measurements courtesy of NBA.com.