Okongwu ready for a Breakout Season

[Jamaaliver]

Hawks Need To solve the Okongwu Conundrum...and soon



Hawks backup Center Onyeka Okongwu is entering his fourth season, and the final year of his rookie contract. The former sixth overall pick has started a grand total of 28 games over the course of his professional career, despite clearly being good enough to justify his draft slot. But with veteran center Clint Capela ahead of him in the pecking order, the Hawks haven't been able to find a spot in the starting unit for him...the Hawks need to once and for all figure out that situation.

Okongwu, who stands 6'8, is not yet a shooter, making it hard to justify him as a frontcourt pairing with Capela, a notoriously limited offensive player.

Not only is Okongwu good, in certain circumstances he's been better than Capela. He's more efficient with a greater capacity for creating his own scoring looks. While still reliant on being set up - as over 71% of his offense is assisted - Okongwu does possess the ability to navigate himself into quality shot attempts, which allows him to be more effective in half-court sets.

Defensively, he isn't much of a downgrade from Capela, although he gives up a little size - Capela is 6'10 and plays even bigger. Where Capela is more reactive, and relies on his great instincts, Okongwu is a thinker. He prioritizes positioning, surveys angles, and maps out the floor more due to the fact that he's undersized. Adjusted to Per36, Okongwu produces 15.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game, while converting on almost 64% of his shots, and over 78% from the foul line. He also rarely turns the ball over, and he's gotten better at fouling less every single year of his career.

So, what's the problem with having two capable centers, you might wonder?

On the surface, nothing. But Okongwu's contractual situation lingers. Teams around the NBA are well-aware of his talents, and teams with cap space next summer could easily swoop in and offer Okongwu a major offer sheet.

If so, the Hawks will find themselves in a rough spot - yet again - financially. Even if they match a rich offer sheet, in the area of $20 million per year, they'd be forced to make a decision long-term at the center spot. And should they then decide to shop either Okongwu or Capela, teams will squeeze them on the price, ultimately risking the Hawks finding themselves in a similar situation as they were in with Huerter and Collins.

Alternatively, we should consider Okongwu himself in all of this.

He's entering his fourth season projected as a backup, knowing full-well he's capable of starting on at least a handful of teams around the league. Could be a sneaky candidate to pick up the one-year qualifying offer, and thus become an unrestricted free agent in 2025?

That's obviously a fairly aggressive move, and it should be deemed unlikely. Players want long-term financial security, and there's no reason to expect Okongwu to be any different. That said, it's an option that he has at his disposal, if he's inclined to seek out a larger role.

The Hawks need to be keenly aware of this situation with Okongwu, as losing another young core piece wouldn't be optimal.

Forbes

[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

OO owns Giannis and Tatum, defensively!!!

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[jayu70]

I'm hoping he has more attempts along with decent efficiency to be a real weapon....
In 57 games under Nate he took 5, made 1
In 23 games under Quin he took 8, made 3.
What I like most, is that Quin is actually running specific plays for him to take that shot.

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[Jamaaliver]

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[jayu70]

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[jayu70]

Decision day tomorrow on OO's early extension.

List of centers signing contracts this offseason:

Naz Reid: 3yr/$41, $13 per
Isaiah Stewart: 4yr/$64, $16 per
Jakob Poeltl: 4yr/$80, $20 per
Nicola Vucevic: 3yr/$60, $20 per
*Myles Turner: 2yr/$41, $20.5 per

[CP War Hawks]

Hoping he gets something in between Stew and Poeltl. He likely takes it into the summer however.

[Jamaaliver]

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[jayu70]

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I'm not sure what he's saying?
Bam can actually bring the ball up court and run the Heats offense. Bam also has turn arounds, fadeaways etc. A more fluid player. Haven't seen OO able to do that.

[Jamaaliver]

Still waiting for that breakout...

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[Jamaaliver]

You guys gonna revolt if Okongwu ends up getting traded?

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[jayu70]

I agree. Let's see what we have.

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[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

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[D21]

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Hmm... can't believe we had two of the top4 in Okongwu and Collins, and that I, if possible, would have instantly traded Capela for Turner when he was on rumors.
These three guys in top4 were my dreamed C/PF rotation, at least until Jalen would be ready

[HMFFL]

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Hmm... can't believe we had two of the top4 in Okongwu and Collins, and that I, if possible, would have instantly traded Capela for Turner when he was on rumors.
These three guys in top4 were my dreamed C/PF rotation, at least until Jalen would be ready

Indy wanted two first round picks for Turner. Teams probably would give two now and not think much about it depending on the draft range of the picks.

Sent from my SM-N975U using RealGM mobile app

[Jamaaliver]

Any thoughts on moving Okongwu for future draft capital and a prospect?

The 2024 Draft is filled with intriguing young Centers to replace him.

Why Onyeka Okongwu Would Elevate Oklahoma City's Ceiling



If Thunder GM Sam Presti and his staff do decide to make a trade, the assumption is that it would be for a frontcourt player who could provide size, rebounding and physicality. Oklahoma City could trade a handful of seconds for a backup big on an expiring contract, or make more of a splash with a large package and land a starting-caliber player that would become part of the long-term core.

There's a variety of options that fit this mold, at many different price points as it relates to the package of assets it would take to acquire such a player.

One player who falls somewhere in the middle of that scale is Onyeka Okongwu of the Atlanta Hawks. At 6-foot-8, the former No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft hasn't necessarily found his groove in Atlanta. To be clear, he's been a solid piece, but has started in less than 12% of the games he's played in his career which isn't ideal for a player selected just outside the top five of a draft.

While the Hawks have historically had quite a bit of depth in the frontcourt which has resulted in a minutes crunch at his position, that wouldn't be the case in OKC. In fact, the Thunder doesn't have many true power forwards or centers, which may be somewhat by design with the team's style of play, but is also a void that needs to be filled.

Although he's somewhat undersized for a player who can operate as a traditional power forward or center, he is strong and weighs 235 pounds. This would make him one of the more physically gifted players on the Thunder roster as it relates to overall size. He also boasts a defensive rebound rate of nearly 19%, which would be a huge help for Oklahoma City, which is one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the NBA.

Okongwu is also the type of player who doesn't need the ball in his hands to make an impact and does much more than just score. This is the ideal type of player to integrate into this lineup, as he is a reliable play finisher, a solid rebounder and adds additional rim protection.

It would likely take draft capital — in the first-round variety — as well as a young promising prospect and salary filler to make this type of deal work. Okongwu recently signed a four-year, $62 million extension that will result in him making between roughly $14 million and $17 million starting next season through the 2027-28 campaign.

OKC Fan Nation

[D21]

Indy wanted two first round picks for Turner. Teams probably would give two now and not think much about it depending on the draft range of the picks.

They certainly wanted two first round picks if there was nothing of value with that, but with Capela in the trade, one first might have been enough, in the sense that he could be sent to a third team that would have gave a first round pick to IND, so they would have got one from ATL and one from another team

Any thoughts on moving Okongwu for future draft capital and a prospect?

The 2024 Draft is filled with intriguing young Centers to replace him.

The problem is that we got frustrated to not see him playing more, but at least, maybe that helped extend him on a very friendly contract, so he's now potentially one of the best bargain for years, like Bogi, so exactly what a lot of teams would like to acquire.
So if you trade him, you have to be sure of the value you get. And trading him mainly for picks = not so sure of what you get

[Jamaaliver]

OO might not give up that starting spot ever again!!!

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