Atlanta Hawks: Good and bad things for Onyeka Okongwu so far

With the season being a month old it is time to look back on how things have gone for Atlanta Hawks rookie Onyeka Okongwu so far. Given that he has only played two games, this could be seen as premature but Okongwu has certainly shown a number of good and bad things that he can work on already.

The reason he was unable to play was the first ten games of the season due to a toe injury. He has now played two games out of the four he was available for. He played in the loss against the Utah Jazz before sitting for the loss to the Portland Trail Blazers and the win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He played in the win against the Detroit Pistons and was solid without being spectacular. In the two games played, Okongwu has averaged 3.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 1.0 assists, and 0.5 assists in 14.0 minutes per game.

The Atlanta Hawks have plenty of development opportunities with Onyeka Okongwu.

The key for any player in their rookie season is development. There are not many better places for Okongwu to be for this to happen. John Collins has developed into a max player in four years, Trae Young developed into an All-Star in just his second year. It will be interesting to see if he can get back to that level this season.

On top of that, the Hawks have developed De’Andre Hunter into a solid 3-and-D player in his second year. Cam Reddish has come along nicely as a defensive two-guard. Kevin Huerter has shown the ability to change the game off the bench also in just his second year.

Now, let’s take a look at the good and bad so far for Oneka Okongwu as this will be crucial for his development.