Thoughts on Okongwu?

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[Gray Mule]

I NOW HAVE A FAVORITE WEST COAST TEAM!

Our new Oh Oh can make his free throws, I'm told.  Great!  A new PF/C in a small forward body @ 6'7" and we trade or otherwise lose who?  Jones, I suppose.

Then, in the 2nd round, we replace Teague with a new PG.  

[mrhonline]

I have a feeling you'll like Onyeka, @Gray Mule.   He works hard and hits his FTs.

[txsting]

Gray Mule loves all the Hawks.  He still sends Christmas cards to Cal Bowdler.  He's gonna love 'Oh Oh'.

[Atlantaholic]

1 hour ago, frosgrim said:

I really like this pick. Super athletic with hands.  He'll need to get his footwork perfected, but he's 19.  

For me, the lack of Hawks depth at the 4 was a huge problem for the team last year. I know PG is what get's the attention, but VC playing PF was a disaster.  We now have a guy who is mobile enough to actually guard mobile 4's in the league.  If his offense is rolling to the bucket right now, that should not be a problem, esp if he's going in for Collins.  

Great pick that fills a need with one of the guys that has the most upside in the draft. 

We were terrible at the four and five. Not so good at the two and three either lol. Basically our team needs are: yes. 

Edited November 19, 2020 by Atlantaholic

[BangHolman]

We were either going Fit or BPA in this seen as weaker draft. I've been saying (elsewhere since I'm new here) that Haliburton was the best fit, but Okongwu has the highest ceiling. Schlenk went BPA (and pretty decent fit), let's roll!

From day 1, he could be a defensive spark plug and hustle guy off the bench playing primarily minutes at the 5. If he can extend his range, FT% being the indicator he can, he'll be able to play plenty of minutes at the 4 one day too. 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

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But everything about Okongwu checked out despite all of the obstacles. His production as a 19-year-old was impressive: more than 16 points per game on 10 shots, 2.7 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. He played as if every game was Game 7 of the NBA Finals. His effort is consistently one of the main points of emphasis scouts bring up. He shot 72 percent from the free-throw line, so there’s hope that he can develop a jump shot, but he did not display much shooting ability in college. According to Synergy, he had 16 catch-and-shoot attempts and made six.

The Hawks gave up more than 119 points per game last season, the worst mark in the league, and what Okongwu offers defensively is why they are so intrigued with him.

“That’s certainly his strength coming into the NBA,” Schlenk said. “He’s going to be a plus rebounder defensively. He’s going to be a rim protector, and the other thing he does is he moves his feet very, very well in pick-and-roll coverages, and as you guys know, that’s extremely important for big guys to be able to guard in pick-and-rolls. Those are his strengths coming in. He’s got great instincts.

“Improving defensively is important for our group. The foundation of your defense is your big guy. They’re kind of the quarterback of the defense. They’re on the back line. They see everything. They have to be communicators and talk to the rest of the group. When there are breakdowns, they have to come over and erase those breakdowns and pick guys up. That’s his strength, and that’s a very valuable strength in the NBA.”

 

 

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Schlenk said he still expects Collins to get some minutes at the five, but it’s highly unlikely he comes close to playing nearly half of his minutes there because of Capela, Dedmon and now Okongwu.

With the center position being so crowded even before Wednesday night, it begs the question: Why draft another center? Schlenk has said all along that the Hawks were going to take the best player available — regardless of position — and he stuck by those words.

“I think what you’re going to see moving forward from us is that it’s not a given that guys get to play just because we draft you high,” Schlenk said. “You have to earn it. Hopefully, we’re not drafting high anymore.”

 

 

 

[ATLHawks3]

He did a podcast with Gilbert Arenas back in June.

 

Check it out:

 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

 

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

Redundancy or replacement?

[KB21]

11 minutes ago, PSSSHHHRRR87 said:

Redundancy or replacement?

Neither.  It's a poor player comparison, as Okongwu isn't similar to either player at all.

[NBASupes]

2 minutes ago, KB21 said:

Neither.  It's a poor player comparison, as Okongwu isn't similar to either player at all.

His movement is within the perimeter based which is exactly like JC but that's about it. 

I don't see any Harrell in his game 

Edited November 19, 2020 by NBASupes

[JayBirdHawk]

22 minutes ago, PSSSHHHRRR87 said:

Redundancy or replacement?

Also, according to sources, Okongwu’s selection does not impact Collins’ future in any way, and Collins’ value to the franchise hasn’t changed. Both sides are interested in getting a deal done, but it’s still to be determined if they’ll be able to agree on financials before the start of the season. It should be noted that while there’s some belief that Okongwu could end up playing some minutes at the four, that won’t happen immediately.

 

The Hawks are trying to make the playoffs this season, JC helps that immediately.

[warcore]

I'm ok with the pick... I'm just not certain that it was the best pick with Avdija and Hayes available. Love that we have a plethora of bigs now. We haven't been a good shot blocking team in many years. And by the time Gwu is ready to take off, Capela will be expiring. 

[RedDawg#8]

They really try to play JC like he cant stroke it from deep (pause)

Collins and Harrell arent even comparable players let alone Collins and Okongwu.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[GameTime]

Okongwu has DPOY potential. Capela's contract give Okongwu time to develop that talent. The more I think about it. The more I like it.

[hawkzlova123]

His name has congo in it, which excites me.

[gHost83]

13 hours ago, Cwell said:

Bruno fell for a reason, and he showed it last year. I remember a lot of people had us taking him with our 10th pick last year, boy were they wrong. 
 

This guy ain’t Bruno

Yea. Bruno is processing way to much and not playing basketball. Huge frame but doesn't know how to use it.  I'm hoping having 3 talented bigs ahead of him can help advance his game. Box the freak out, use that body, automatically spring a second jump even if the shot looks like it's going in. It's those things he doesn't possess currently. He may be able to tap into it one day though.

[JayBirdHawk]

Anyway...back to Okongwu: