Okongwu ready for a Breakout Season

Post #1 » by **Jamaaliver** » Wed Oct 19, 2022 4:41 pm

Every NBA Team's Top Breakout Candidate

Atlanta Hawks: Onyeka Okongwu

The eye test and the stat sheet both agree: Okongwu is ready for a leap year.

His biggest obstacle to this point has been a lack of opportunity. Significant floor time may not elude him much longer, though, given the offseason departure of Danilo Gallinari and the trade winds that perpetually swirl around Clint Capela and John Collins.

Okongwu is already up to the task on defense, and on offense, his finishing is ready, too. His per-36-minutes marks of 14.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.9 assists paint him as a potential juggernaut. Clearing him for takeoff could be the final tweak needed for the Hawks to soar into the elite tier.

Bleacher Report

Post #2 » by **Jamaaliver** » Wed Oct 19, 2022 4:51 pm

The Hawks lost several key players this summer. Those losses no doubt require some of the younger prospects to fill larger roles, specifically third-year center Onyeka Okongwu.

Okongwu has been very productive when on the floor, but his playing time has been limited as he has missed over 60 games in just two seasons. Okongwu is an incredibly able scorer around the basket and even developed a jump shot this summer. Some have said that, at 6 feet 8 inches tall, Okongwu is too small for his position, but his height actually allows him to be a quick and versatile defender. When switching on pick-and-rolls, Okongwu can keep up with smaller guards and effectively defend his opponent.

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Even when matched up against much larger players, like Milwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Okongwu stands his ground and blocks their shots. The key to Okongwu’s success this season – and thus the Hawks’ success – is health. If Okongwu can stay healthy, he will definitely be playing significant minutes for the team.

The Emory Wheel

Post #3 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Oct 27, 2022 12:14 pm

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atlantabbq99 · Post #4 » by **atlantabbq99** » Thu Oct 27, 2022 12:18 pm

I hope so, because Jalen Smith right now is making Kong look like the wrong pick.

D21 · Post #5 » by **D21** » Thu Oct 27, 2022 3:35 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:

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Bogi will certainly help as they played very well together last season, but they need to improve the bench.
Yes, he was 5-5, but they were totally dominated each time he was on the floor. He finished with the worst +/- of the team, and by far (-19)

I never have any faith in the Holiday's defense before, I don't have more since they joined ATL

Post #6 » by **Jamaaliver** » Sat Oct 29, 2022 2:38 am

Through the 4-1 start.

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Post #7 » by **Jamaaliver** » Tue Nov 8, 2022 6:38 pm

Onyeka got himself a poster!!!

jayu70 · Post #8 » by **jayu70** » Tue Nov 8, 2022 7:03 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:Onyeka got himself a poster!!!

Might wanna make that a T-shirt!

Post #9 » by **Jamaaliver** » Fri Dec 16, 2022 2:19 pm

OO's time to shine with Clint out injured for a couple of weeks.

His last game where Capela was injured:

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D21 · Post #10 » by **D21** » Sat Dec 17, 2022 2:45 am

The main goal was to win Vs CHA, but unfortunately, we didn't see a monster game from him.

Okongwu: 7pts/7rbds/4blk and +4 Plus/Minus in 22min
Kaminsky: 12pts/7rbd/5ast/1stl and +17 Plus/Minus in 22min too

Post #11 » by **HMFFL** » Sat Dec 17, 2022 8:06 pm

I'm looking forward to him showing that he can handle consistent minutes. We need him to be productive so I hope he does breakout with some big games.

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Post #12 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Dec 22, 2022 7:16 am

Amazing things can happen when you don't foul out of the game in 20 minutes, Onyeka...

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Post #13 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Dec 29, 2022 3:04 am

Noticeable offensive improvement:

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Post #14 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Dec 29, 2022 3:39 am

Post #15 » by **Jamaaliver** » Tue Jan 10, 2023 9:08 pm

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Post #16 » by **Jamaaliver** » Sun Jan 15, 2023 12:44 am

Career night for OO.

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azuresou1 · Post #17 » by **azuresou1** » Mon Jan 16, 2023 12:33 am

OO is really really good when he isn't giving up size. His problem is the same as it was pre-draft - he's really small for a 5 and can get easily bullied out by legit 5s

His jumpshot looks a lot better, he needs to take the Al Horford evolution and continue working on that aspect of his game

D21 · Post #18 » by **D21** » Mon Jan 16, 2023 3:46 am

azuresou1 wrote:OO is really really good when he isn't giving up size. His problem is the same as it was pre-draft - he's really small for a 5 and can get easily bullied out by legit 5s

His jumpshot looks a lot better, he needs to take the Al Horford evolution and continue working on that aspect of his game

Right regarding Horford, but OO was also good at defending against Embiid. It's big traditional centers that are a problem for him, when he have to spend all the time near the basket fighting with them

Post #19 » by **Jamaaliver** » Thu Feb 9, 2023 2:45 pm

Just for the dance moves...

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Post #20 » by **Jamaaliver** » Sat Feb 25, 2023 2:18 am

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