The Atlanta Hawks may have patched over their center problem, but they haven’t really solved it.
That was the issue hanging over last season, and it showed up again when the Hawks ran into the New York Knicks in the playoffs. Atlanta was New York’s toughest opponent, but the series still tilted the same way once the Knicks slowed things down and attacked the middle.
The Hawks kept searching for answers, and the offseason brought more attempts to clean it up. Whether that work actually sticks is the big question heading into the regular season.
At the center of it all is Onyeka Okongwu, and the hard truth from last season is that he still doesn’t look like the long-term franchise anchor there. The concern isn’t what he can do offensively. It’s whether he has the size to handle true centers over the course of a full season and, more importantly, in a playoff series.
Karl-Anthony Towns exposed that weakness. In the series against Atlanta, he overpowered Okongwu on the glass and in the paint, finishing with averages of 18.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and six assists while shooting 50/40/90% from the field, from three and at the line. Okongwu competed, but he couldn’t stop Towns from dictating the interior battle.
The Hawks spent much of the season trying to piece together the position after Kristaps Porzingis battled sickness and was traded. That led Atlanta to bring in Jock Landale and Tony Bradley, both of whom played as true centers last season. Neither one profiles as a franchise-changing answer, though.
The numbers from last season point to why this remains a real concern. Atlanta was giving up more than 50 points in the paint and allowing 14 second-chance points per game, leaving them near the bottom half of the league in paint defense.
The front office also used the draft to keep taking swings. Atlanta selected Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar, two young centers who will need time before anyone can count on them for major minutes.
So the Hawks have a few paths forward, but none of them are simple. They could trade for another center.
They could let the young bigs develop and hope one of them emerges. Or they could keep riding with the three centers already on the roster and trust that one eventually becomes the answer.
One date to keep an eye on is October 1st, when Okongwu becomes eligible for a contract extension. If Atlanta moves in that direction, it would be a clear sign the team believes he’s the one to build around at center.
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