The Atlanta Hawks have lost four of their last five games, losing control of the No. 7 seed to the Orlando Magic and decreasing their lead over the Miami Heat for No. 8 in the Eastern Conference Standings.
Their most recent loss, a 120-118 thriller against the Dallas Mavericks, came down to the wire.
Hawks head coach Quin Snyder highlighted the tough spot Onyeka Okongwu was in and the job he did on the night.
“Particularly when they’re playing [Daniel] Gafford and [Dereck] Lively with AD [Anthony Davis], it puts even more on his shoulders, and he was terrific,” Snyder told reporters on April 2. That’s why he played a lot of minutes, because he was playing well. He made some big buckets down the stretch, and he defended and rebounded and gave us a really good game.”
On the second night of a back-to-back, Okongwu had 20 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. He had a 12-6-3 line with 1 block the night before against the Portland Trail Blazers.
However, with Davis’ big night – 34-15-2 with 5 blocks and 1 steal – Okongwu’s defense undercut his offense.
Davis is a special talent, as his former No. 1 overall pick status would indicate.
Still, Davis was 12-for-20 (60%) for 26 points when matched up against Okongwu, his most frequent matchup, per NBA.com’s tracking data. Of course, that means Davis was 2-for-3 against his other matchups in the contest.
For the Hawks, though, it is an ominous footnote to the narrow defeat and a reminder that, at least for now, Okongu’s greatest contributions come on the offensive end and defensive glass.
Okongwu boasts the fourth-best on-off differential on the Hawks, per Cleaning The Glass.
He holds the same standing on the team offensively, ranking in the 87th percentile. However, Okongwu ranks in the 48th percentile defensively. Even more ominous, that is the second-best mark behind Dyson Daniels among the Hawks’ regular (healthy) starting lineup.
That deficit provides further context for why the Hawks have chosen to navigate waters with Mouhamed Gueye starting in the injured Jalen Johnson’s place at power forward.
Gueye had 11 points and 5 boards against the Mavs.
It was his first double-digit scoring output in 10 games and his fifth of the 2024-25 season. A second-round pick in 2024, Gueye also boasts the best defensive differential on the Hawks, ranking in the 99th percentile.
That is encouraging for next season when Johnson will return to reclaim his starting spot. And Snyder acknowledged that Gueye’s defense is key to his playing time right now.
As with everyone, they are encouraging him to remain confident offensively.
“He’s in the game a lot of times because of his length so that he can defend,” Snyder said. “We just want him to continue to shoot the ball with confidence and not hesitate. And when he’s around the rim, and he’s running, his length really shows.”
Gueye has started 23 of his 27 appearances this season, including the last 21 in a row. He is gaining invaluable experience for next season when he can slot into a more appropriate role.
The Hawks lack rim protection, even to the extent they had with Clint Capela in recent years.
Instead, they are built to be better on the perimeter, specifically on the wings and at forward with Daniels, Johnson, and Zaccharie Risacher. Given the results of the season and the fact that Trae Young remains at point guard, it is fair to wonder if that was a worthwhile sacrifice.
It could also prove informative for their plans this coming offseason, be it adding another, bigger body or something drastic like trading Young, who had a prayer’s chance at a game-winner.
For now, Snyder commended his team and Davis for a hard-fought game.
“I thought we battled. We were aggressive even in our defense in the fourth quarter, and it always comes down to a couple plays,” Snyder said. “Anthony Davis had a really tough shot, fading away off one foot. And then we didn’t get a good shot late. They switched out, and that’s a tough guy to score on in Davis as well, so.
“I thought the group really competed, and we battled, and we were right there. It’s a tough one to lose.”