3 Atlanta Hawks Draft Prospects We Wished We Saw in March Madness
By Dallin Duffy
Onyeka Okongwu
The USC big man had a great freshman year, earning All Pac-12 First Team honors averaging 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. He’s shot up into the top-ten, even top-five on some mock drafts with his inspired play on both ends of the court.
A potential selection of Okongwu makes a bit less sense for the Hawks since they acquired Clint Capela, although whoever the Hawks draft probably isn’t cracking the starting rotation anyways. With Capela, John Collins, Dewayne Dedmon, and Okongwu, the Hawks could have their frontcourt of the future locked in.
The 6’9 Okongwu can play both the four and five with a 7’1 wingspan, and his leaping ability overrides any size-related shortcomings. If nothing else, his rim protection should translate into the NBA seamlessly and should be able to last in the league for a long time with that alone.
Offensively, he’s an elite rim-runner, but not much else. If he becomes someone who can make his shots in the post or stretch the floor with a three, that would be something we didn’t see during his time with the Trojans.
Speaking of the Trojans, they were hot coming into March and could have made a nice little run into the second or third weekend. Okongwu could have cemented himself as a top-five pick with a few good games.