Hawks’ solution to broken center rotation is painfully obvious

The Atlanta Hawks will ride with their young core of bigs this season, which has and will continue to cost them games.

Onsi Saleh held a press conference following the Trae Young trade, where he was asked about the team’s big man rotation. The new GM said, “We like our bigs, we really do. Let’s just continue to evaluate it.” He followed with, “We’re not going to do anything that’s a quick fix for this season.”

This is a sad yet expected update for Hawks fans. If the team addressed the center position, Atlanta could be a real threat to win a playoff series. While it would take a miracle for them to be true contenders, the postseason experience would be beneficial for individual and team growth. As a side benefit, Saleh could judge this team in the context of a playoff series to determine just how valuable each piece is to the team.

Saleh is correct, however, in his assessment of the big men on the roster. Onyeka Okongwu, Mouhamed Gueye, and Asa Newell are all promising players who could develop into an elite big man core over the next few years. 

The big man trio is not ready to win yet

There is a good chance Saleh is on the right track with this move, even if it results in a temporary setback. Gueye and Newell need NBA-level reps to develop into their fullest selves. If the Hawks decide to win this season by trading for a mediocre center, they are setting back the development of their two young bigs.

Okongwu is the perfect example of how this can work. Despite drawing heavy skepticism from analysts around the league for his miniature frame at the center position, the Hawks simply kept playing him at the five. The experiment was ugly at first, with Atlanta essentially waving the white flag down low during his first few seasons. As he logged more minutes, however, Okongwu began to prove his critics wrong. Six seasons later, he’s a real starting-caliber center on defense.

Gueye and Newell both need to gain serious weight if Atlanta plans to play them at the five. Until this happens, the team will again wave the white flag in the paint while the rest of the team grows. 

But perhaps this season is the step back necessary to take two steps forward. If Gueye and Newell can use this season to improve, the Hawks could avoid spending cap space on a player who would ultimately become redundant.