Okongwu ready for a Breakout Season

[Jamaaliver]

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Both OO and Jalen Johnson both have a career high of 30 points in a game.

Zaccharie Risacher has a high of 38 points in a game.

Will he score 39 points before OO or Jalen Johnson score 31?

[Jamaaliver]

Both OO and Jalen Johnson both have a career high of 30 points in a game.

Zaccharie Risacher has a high of 38 points in a game.

Will he score 39 points before OO or Jalen Johnson score 31?

I'm guessing Zacch gets a 40 point game before either Jalen or Okongwu...mainly because those guys have way more responsibilities in the front court than Zacch.

OO = Defensive Anchor
Jalen = Secondary creator, rim protector
Zacch = play finisher, team defender

[Jamaaliver]

OO's career numbers in Atlanta.

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[Jamaaliver]

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Hawks’ rejection of hefty Lakers offer speaks volumes about Onyeka Okongwu
The Lakers came calling, but Atlanta let the phone ring.


“I have heard that at the 2025 trade deadline, the Lakers offered the ‘Mark Williams package’ for Walker Kessler, Jalen Duren and Onyeka Okongwu,” Lakers reporter Jovan Buha said on Buha’s Block during a live stream last Wednesday night. “All three of those teams [Utah, Detroit, and Atlanta] respectively rejected that offer. That was Dalton Knecht, the Lakers [2031] first round pick, and a pick swap. The Lakers’ best offer is still that, essentially.”

https://soaringdownsouth.com/hawks-rejection-hefty-lakers-offer-speaks-volumes-onyeka-okongwu

[Jamaaliver]

Onyeka might be the single most tradeable player on the roster. And his value is still increasing.

I'd re-evaluate next summer.

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[jayu70]

Onyeka might be the single most tradeable player on the roster. And his value is still increasing.

I'd re-evaluate next summer.

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KP is injury prone and on an expiring.

[Jamaaliver]

Onyeka might be the single most tradeable player on the roster. And his value is still increasing.

I'd re-evaluate next summer.

KP is injury prone and on an expiring.

Precisely why I'd wait until next summer to consider a OO trade.

I do believe he can be a part of a championship rotation, but I'm still looking to upgrade the front court long term.

[Jamaaliver]

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[jayu70]

OO made the list, listen from 15:20

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[HMFFL]

OO is affordable and provides depth if KP or Jalen Johnson get injured. He will have a fun season coming off our bench and playing the 4/5.

He showed last season that he can be disciplined from 3-point range. If he went 0 for 2 he typically stopped attempting them in that game.

[Jamaaliver]

Spoiler:

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[Jamaaliver]

Could The Hawks End Up Trading Away Onyeka Okongwu?



The Atlanta Hawks have done everything within their power to build a team around Trae Young, in order to hide his height disadvantage.

Kristaps Porziņģis, Jalen Johnson, and Zaccharie Risacher - all 6'9 or over - have been positioned to cover for Young's defensive inadequacies, and that's before bringing up the name Dyson Daniels, their 6'8 off-guard who is already one of the league's best defenders.

Yet, one player could seem like an odd fit on these Hawks, thus making him a trade candidate before the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline.

The production of Onyeka Okongwu
At 6'8, the former lottery pick has had an interesting, albeit unremarkable, NBA career.

Okongwu, for his career, sits at 9.6 points, and 6.7 rebounds, in just over 22 minutes of nightly action. The raw numbers don't tell the whole story, as the center is a perfectly capable defensive player, who is simply [too] small to start at center full-time.

Last season, his best in the league, Okongwu dropped 13.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.9 blocks, and 0.9 steals. Again, the raw line does not tell the whole story, but it was interesting to see how he could extend his own production when given more minutes.

(Okongwu also started taking more three-point shots, which could be an avenue of his expanding his game further.)

This is all to say the Hawks have, in their possession, a player who doesn't necessarily fit their schemes long-term, but who is productive, signed a modest $62 million deal over four years, which should be movable in the right setting.

Exploring the trade market
What should the Hawks, then, look for if they do dangle the contract of Okongwu?

Another playmaker wouldn't hurt, particularly at the guard spot. Daniels, for all his defensive upside, is not much of an offensive player, and occasionally the Hawks find themselves a little too predictable with Young off the floor.

That being said, the Hawks are in no rush. Not should they be. The market will develop at its own pace, and teams are aware of Okongwu's stellar two-way production, even if he is undersized.

In a perfect role, the 24-year-old would develop more toolsy skills to transition down to the power forward spot, but so far that hasn't seemed particularly realistic.

Whichever direction the Hawks decide to go, they have options.

Forbes.com