Hawks season-opening win proved Onyeka Okongwu deserves featured role

There is not much more one can ask for on opening night other than health and a victory.

The Atlanta Hawks got both, notching a 120-116 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. It is Game 1, so we will not draw any lasting, steadfast conclusions. There are still 81 games to go on the regular season slate.

Instead, we will explore some hot takes that could quickly become lingering narratives for the Hawks after games.

After the opener, a potential “changing of the guard” at center would seem appropriate.

Opening night hot take: Hawks HC must start Onyeka Okongwu

For many fans, Onyeka Okongwu’s performance versus Brooklyn – 28 points (career high), 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 assist – will only underscore their belief that he needs to be C1 on the Hawks’ depth chart and that head coach Quin Snyder should start him.

Okongwu surpassed the 2,000-career-point mark in the contest.

Snyder closed with Okongwu over Capela, who had 6 points, 7 boards, 1 assist, 1 block, and 1 steal. The head coach praised Capela for how he handled the decision.

That might mean a similar setup going forward.

Okongwu played more than 28 minutes while Capela failed to surpass the 20-minute threshold despite drawing the start. Capela offers more size and Okongwu versatility on both ends, giving the Hawks options to open and close games.

The thing is, the more Okongwu plays like this, the louder calls for him to start will get even if he is on the floor in crunch time more often than not.

Opening night explains Hawks HC’s preseason comments

Snyder took caution to explain his approach to who would be Trae Young’s backup (Vit Krejci sure looked good in that role in the opener).

In those remarks, Snyder offered insight into the starting lineup that proved telling.

“Trae, the way that he plays and what he does for our team, is unique,” Snyder said, per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Lauren L. Williams wrote on October 19. “So, I don’t look at it as a positional thing where (we) talk about backup this. It’s the same way you look at a wing.

“It can change game to game. It can change minute to minute. We still have to play defense. We still want whoever’s in there to dance the ball with the pass as much as we can and play team basketball. So, there’s primary ball handlers. But that doesn’t mean there’s not a secondary ball handler, given that it just – it’s not real complicated. But it isn’t black and white.”

Okongwu is bought in. It likely does not matter to him whether he starts or continues to come off the bench, especially if he is going to see big minutes consistently.

However, his opening-night showing should instill confidence the Hawks can make that change.