Onyeka Okongwu keeps getting treated like a placeholder at center, and that’s become harder to justify by the season.
The Hawks big man is under seven-feet tall, and that alone seems to shape how people around the league view him. Even with a steady climb in production, clear nightly impact and a game that gives Atlanta real offensive structure, the respect still hasn’t fully caught up.
That same old conversation follows the Hawks, too: as the team has improved its record and moved closer to contention, the idea that center is their biggest weakness keeps hanging around. As long as Okongwu stays the size he is, that debate doesn’t seem ready to disappear.
The latest example came from HoopsHype, which slotted Okongwu all the way down at No. 21 among NBA centers. That’s a rough landing for a player who just finished a season averaging more than 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game while shooting over 37% from deep.
And the names ahead of him only make the ranking look stranger. Among the players listed above Okongwu were New Orleans’ Derik Queen, Washington’s Alex Sarr, Charlotte’s Naz Reid and Milwaukee’s Myles Turner.
Even the reasoning attached to the ranking reads like a case for moving him up. Frank Urbina of HoopsHype wrote, "Okongwu can score from the outside on spot-up shots and from the inside on drives, and he can also protect the paint and switch against ball-handlers on the other end, all while being an underrated playmaker."
That blend is exactly what makes him valuable to Atlanta. He isn’t just finishing plays; he’s helping create them.
Quin Snyder has often used him as an offensive hub, with much of the action flowing through his ability to make plays up top. On defense, his capacity to switch onto smaller players helped turn the Hawks into one of the league’s most effective units late last season.
Now Okongwu is entering his seventh season, and there’s little reason to think the upward trend stops here. For the first time in his career, he’s beginning the season as a full-time starter. That puts the spotlight squarely on him again - and gives him another chance to show he’s a lot more than the 21st best center in the NBA.
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For Atlanta, the intrigue is obvious if Detroits negotiations continue to stall. The Hawks are among the teams monitoring the possibility of a sign-and-trade, along with Milwaukee, Sacramento and Washington, giving this situation a broader market than just one contract dispute. If Duren and the Pistons cannot bridge their gap, the next move could become the kind of team-building opportunity that keeps rival executives watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
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Hawks Rookie Is Suddenly Making A Rotation Push Early
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For Atlanta, the timing makes the situation interesting. The Hawks have veteran voices around Flemings and a coaching staff that has shown it can reward players who earn trust on the details, which gives him a real path to minutes if he keeps building. The question now is how quickly his game can catch up to the impression he has already made. [Read more 🡒]