Pick No. 6 (ATL): Onyeka Okongwu, PF/C
Atlanta has both young stars in the making and lottery picks to supplant them. Trae Young and De’Andre Hunter should strike fear into opponents for the next half-decade at the least. John Collins is going to get a max contract from SOMEONE this offseason and Clint Capela has been an absolute monster in the paint for them. They have short and long-term answers at nearly every position. They took Okongwu at No. 6 this year.
Listen. He’s only played five games so far and averaging just 12 minutes per game. It is hard to have any kind of takeaways with that. He is still swatting 1.2 shots in that limited time, which shows his defense. If Onyeka can become something similar to Capela, this will have been the perfect pick. The Hawks need someone that can defend and make easy shots at the rim.
Okongwu’s offense is going to take a while to develop. But when you’re catching lobs and passes from Trae, it eases that learning curve. At 6-foot-8, there would be some concerns about him being the only big man on the floor in anything but small lineups.
Verdict: Inconclusive. Until he gets more mileage, ATL cannot be happy/unhappy with this pick.