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

Atlanta Hawks rookie Onyeka Okongwu) The bad.

There is not too much bad when it comes to a player who has only played two games. However, there are development opportunities and most of them are fully expected for a rookie. The first opportunity was obvious in the very first game he played.

Okongwutried to back down one of the Jazz centers on his first play. He was not able to move the opposition big despite being in the best position that he could have been in. What Okongwu needs to work on here is his strength which could be hard to do in this shortened season where the team is struggling to even find days to practice, so tight is the schedule.

The second area Okongwu needs to develop is his one-on-one defense. He is fine taking on another big but when he switches onto a smaller player he is not yet able to stay in front of him. This will also come in time, Okongwu’s footwork is solid and he will learn from a good mentor is Clint Capela.

Apart from that, Okongwu is still working through shot selection but again that is to be expected from a rookie. He is shooting the ball at 33.3 percent from the floor on nine shot attempts. One of these was a very nervous looking first attempt but apart from that, he is still yet to find his range.