2024-25 Atlanta Hawks Roster Preview: Onyeka Okongwu

The young center has an excellent opportunity to take the reins as Atlanta's starter of the future - will he be able to do so in 2024-25?

Mar 21, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) dunks against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Age: 23 (5th season)

Height, Weight: 6'8, 235 lbs

2023-24 Averages: 10.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists on 61.1%/33.3%/79.3% splits (55 games)

Career Averages: 8.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists on 64%/31.8%/75.4% splits (233 games)

In his fifth season, it's still not altogether clear whether Onyeka Okongwu is going to be the starting center of the future for Atlanta. His contract (4 years, $61.98 million) suggests that he will be. He's shown signs of being the future, especially flashes. However, Clint Capela is still on the roster for Atlanta and does not appear to be moving on anytime soon.

2024-25 is the season he needs to definitively stake his claim.

Okongwu's 2023-24 season can be somewhat explained by missing 27 games. Most of that was due to a lingering toe injury that has still not healed. Per general manager Landry Fields, Okongwu is still making progress in his recovery.

Kobe Bufkin and Mo Gueye are back to full health, per Landry Fields.

Onyeka Okongwu and Seth Lundy are making progress but notably Fields did not say they are 100% at this stage.

— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) September 30, 2024

Okongwu also spoke to the media in a session on Oct. 3rd during training camp:

Assuming that he's able to come back fully healthy, I would expect Okongwu to take another step this year. He already posted career-highs in three-point percentage, free-throw percentage and assists. Part of that could be symptomatic of a small sample size, but I do think he showed progress on offense. His playmaking looked better as he showed a real proficiency for finding cutters. His scoring at the rim continues to be efficient (74% in 2023-24) and he has the strength to get to the basket. He will struggle against true seven-footers to exert his strength, but he's a strong play finisher in most matchups.

On defense, it was definitely not a banner year for the young big man. In 2022-23, he posted a block rate of 2.8 blocks per 100 possessions. Okongwu was one of the better shot blockers in basketball and it seemed like a part of his game that could take a leap in 2023-24. However, that number fell to 2.0 per 100 possesions. His block % also declined from 4.9 to a career-low 3.8%. To put it simply, Okongwu did not stand out as a positive defender on a struggling Hawks defense.

Still, I find it hard to believe that the defensive form he showed in 2022-23 is gone. There simply are not a lot of centers in the league who can hold up on the perimeter and protect the rim at a high level. Okongwu showed signs of being that player two seasons ago and staying healthy in 2024-25 should allow him to return to that form.

It is somewhat worrying that Okongwu has not recovered from his toe injury, but one advantage of the Hawks' roster at the moment is their center depth. Clint Capela, Larry Nance Jr and Cody Zeller are all capable of filling in to weather Okongwu's absence if he needs to miss time.

In terms of his role in 2024-25, it needs to be obvious that he is the best candidate for the starting center job. As good as Capela has been for Atlanta in the past, Okongwu is the younger, more mobile option with a higher ceiling. The five-man lineup of Bogdanovic - Young - Okongwu - Bey - Johnson recorded a +13.7 net rating last year, which provides some credence to the idea that Okongwu is a better fit alongside Young and Johnson. The Hawks need to be a better defense in 2024-25 and Okongwu has the most versatility as a defender of any of the Hawks' options at center.

I am also interested to see if he can increase his amount of jumpers and three-pointers. He clearly has some touch as a shooter. If defenses cannot ignore him as a floor-spacer, that could elevate Atlanta's offense to another level beyond the high floor that they have with Young. While Okongwu is not a knockdown shooter yet, there is potential for him to show a reliable shot on higher volume. The Hawks could also use this production from him in the wake of Dejounte Murray's departure from the team.

Best-Case Scenario: Okongwu is the unquestioned starter at center for the Hawks in 2024-25, ups his scoring to 15 points per game on good efficiency and posts a 33-34% three-point percentage on three attempts a game while returning to form as a two-way player.

Worst-Case Scenario: Okongwu's injuries keep him from establishing himself as a consistent force in the lineup and he continues to regress on defense while not showing any growth as an offensive player.