Who is the best kept secret on the Atlanta Hawks roster?
The Atlanta Hawks have put together an amazing roster for next season. I mean, we all know about Trae Young, the guy who, as Pat Benson says the NBA changed the rules to slow him down, and then he led the league in points and assists. This has only been done once before by Nate Tiny Archibald, who just happens to be a Hall of Fame player.
The Hawks also made a huge splash this summer by trading with the San Antonio Spurs to land Dejounte Murray. The one-time All-Star and last season’s steals leader is going to help the Hawks no end this season, not just with his play but with his attitude and leadership. He showed that he is not afraid to get into it, making No. 1 pick Paulo Banchero look silly in a pro-am game.
They also have the two-way potential that is De’Andre Hunter, There is also the rebounding and blocking machine who is Clint Capela who can also finish off an alley-oop really well. The starting five is rounded out by John Collins who everyone knows thanks to his incredible athletic exploits. Just ask the salty Joel Embiid about whether he remembers a certain Collins dunk. Bogdan Bogdanovic is also one of the best shooters of the 3-ball in the NBA who comes off the bench.
So who is the Atlanta Hawks’ best-kept secret?
Well, according to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report the Atlanta Hawks’ best-kept secret is none other than third-year man Onyeka Okongwu. The Hawks’ backup big man took huge steps forward last season after coming back in December from offseason shoulder surgery.
He almost doubled his averages in minutes, points, rebounds, blocks, and assists per game when he came back last season. However, what is most exciting about Okongwu is that he has starter-level defense and some of the top NBA big men would argue that he is not a secret as he is already so good on that end.
However, it can be argued that it is his offense that is Okongwu’s secret. He is incredibly proficient in the pick and roll, scouted as the best in his draft class. Thanks to the connection that he and Lou Williams shared, even this part of his game went to another level last season as the connection just got stronger.
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However, Okongwu vowed to come back with a jump shot this season and by all accounts, he has put in the work and it is looking smooth from the baseline. While he may be a surprise this season, when the Hawks make a deep playoff run this season thanks to his brilliance, he will be a secret no more.