Atlanta Hawks: 5 legends for Onyeka Okongwu to study over the offseason

The Atlanta Hawks had a tremendous season in 2020-21 where they went deeper into the playoffs than anyone could have envisioned. A huge reason for this was Trae Young but no team will ever make it to the top of the NBA relying on just one player.

Surrounding star players with talented role players is the only way to get to the top and the contribution of Onyeka Okongwu was crucial for the Hawks last season. This was especially so after Nate McMillan took over and started to effectively develop him in his rookie season.

Okongwu missed out on the early part of his development due to missing out on summer league thanks to the preseason being shortened due to the COVID-19 in 2020. He was also out for almost the first month of the season due to his foot injury.

The Atlanta Hawks are going to miss Onyeka Okongwu at the start of the season

Unfortunately for the Hawks’ they are going to be missing Okongwu for the first three months of the season. He is recovering from shoulder surgery and the impact that this is going to be had on the team has hopefully been mitigated by the signing of Gorgui Dieng and by drafting of Jalen Johnson.

With all of the rehabilitation time in front of him, Okongwu has plenty of time to study film and work on the mental game. It is not just contemporary players that Okongwu should study, there are a number of legends he should study deeply. Let’s take a look at five he should pay particular attention to.