In his Atlanta Hawks debut, Christian Koloko instantly solved the team’s biggest problem: their lack of size.
Fans have been begging GM Onsi Saleh to help the team out for months. Kristaps Porzingis has played in just five games since December 1st after a series of injuries and illnesses. N’Faly Dante tore his ACL that same month. Atlanta had just one center on the lineup, Onyeka Okongwu, who is clearly more of a “4.5” (PF/C) than a true five.
Mouhamed Gueye and Asa Newell have filled the hole at center in the interim, which has been disastrous. Gueye is an excellent defender, but he simply doesn’t play center. His defensive prowess stems from his mobility and quickness, not his strength and verticality. He simply isn’t equipped to be the only rim protector on the team. Newell has fared even worse as a rookie who is woefully underweight for the five.
Neither Gueye nor Newell is at fault for their struggles – Saleh is. He understood that Porzingis was injury-prone when he traded for the former Celtics big man, yet still did not sign a third-string center. Atlanta needed three centers so that the team could have two when Porzingis misses time. I would argue the team should have four centers in an ideal world, since Okongwu isn’t the most physically dominant center and should play half of his minutes at the four.
Koloko solved the problems left by Porzingis and Dante’s injuries
Koloko presumably was not scheduled to play on Wednesday. He didn’t see the floor until the 7:25 mark in the second quarter, when both Okongwu and Gueye were in foul trouble (2 and 3 fouls, respectively).
This was the best thing that could have happened for Atlanta in hindsight. In his first possession as a Hawk, Koloko scored on an easy dunk. While there was nothing particularly impressive about the play in itself, it was quite a refreshing sight. Atlanta finally had a center who looked the part.
Okongwu picked up his fourth personal foul just 30 seconds into the third quarter, sending Koloko back into the game. He made personal history in this stint, knocking down the first three pointer of his career alongside a rebound, a steal, and a block over six minutes. Again, there is nothing incredible about this stat line, but the Hawks finally have a player that can have such a performance without miraculous circumstances.
Up five with 2:11 left in the game, Okongwu fouled out. At this point, Hawks fans would usually consider the game over. This time, however, Atlanta had another center to deploy in his stead. Koloko recorded only one stat, a loose ball foul, but his mere physical presence was enough to keep the team afloat.