Hawks avoided using Onyeka Okongwu at Power Foward
One of the popular notions among fans is that, if they really wanted to, the Hawks could play fourth-year big man Oneka Okongwu at power forward. He already has the athletic ability and has been working to improve his jump shot over the last two offseasons, in particular.
But the Hawks seem to know that is not a sustainable look for them or Oknogwu, playing him there just 13 possessions all season, and the results were not pretty.
We'll take Onyeka Okongwu for One Thousand please Alex pic.twitter.com/Z5d1pEq14H
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 14, 2023
The Hawks posted a minus-73.3 net rating with Okongwu at power forward alongside his returning teammates, though it means little because they only tried it for six possessions, perhaps a telling decision by the coaching staff. Unless his jump shot is drastically improved, minutes at the 4 could be hard to come by for Okongwu next season.
That does complicate things in terms of getting him as many minutes as possible – he is already behind Capela on the depth chart.
He is also heading into the final year of his contract with restricted free agency looming.
The best path forward for Okongwu and the Hawks would be giving him carte blanche at the 5 which will be difficult with Capela still effective.