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“Jack of All Trades”: Onyeka Okongwu Reveals Why He Got Drafted by Atlanta Hawks

Published 11/18/2020, 11:21 PM EST

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Onyeka Okongwu had a special night during the 2020 NBA Draft. The Atlanta Hawks selected the Nigerian player as the number five overall pick in the draft.

The University of South Carolina player was a top prospect in the NBA Draft. Many analysts projected him as a top-10 draft pick. Okongwu moved up several spaces during the draft from his original projections and ended up in the coveted top-five.

Okongwu is a center, ranked number two in his position in the draft class. Playing for the University of South Carolina, Okongwu had a fantastic season. He averaged 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and almost 3 blocks a game. He is a great offensive and defensive player, something the Hawks really need.

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Okongwu will be playing alongside All-Star Trae Young and fellow center Clint Capela in the Atlanta Hawks. He will provide significant size and defensive improvement for a team that has a poor defensive track record.

Why did Atlanta select Onyeka Okongwu?

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Okongwu played highschool basketball alongside fellow draftee LaMelo Ball and his brother Lonzo (of the New Orleans Pelicans) at Chino Hills. Now, all three are in the NBA.

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Okongwu has size, versatility, and great speed. In a team that is built around Trae Young, Okongwu will be a major piece for them. His ability on the fast break will be extremely helpful. While Okongwu is on the smaller size for a center, he can still grow into traditional NBA center dimensions in his career.

Okongwu spoke to NBA Radio on Sirius XM about being selected in the NBA Draft. When asked about what part of his game attracted the Atlanta Hawks, he only had one word. “Defense, defense, defense. I’m versatile, I move well, I’m able to switch on different guards. I can tend with the big men down there. I’m a bruiser, so I can definitely guard bigger players and switch on the guards. It’s kind of a jack-of-all-trades. You can put me in any situation and I’ll be able okay with it. Not a lot of players like that in this draft.”

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Okongwu noted that his late brother was a big reason he made it to the NBA. Okongwu said he was still with him in spirit and said, “We did it. He knew that I was going to be an NBA player….He was with me in spirit tonight.”

Okongwu will be starting next season with the Atlanta Hawks. One of his goals will be to earn the coveted Rookie of the Year award at the end of the season.

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Written by:

Aaditya Krishnamurthy

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Aaditya Krishnamurthy is an NBA & NFL journalist for EssentiallySports, before which he worked at BusinessWorld magazine. He has been a fan of Basketball for over 10 years now, since Shaquille O’Neal was a Phoenix Suns player. During his time at Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts, he started a sports magazine for the college called the Overtime Tribune and hosted the Overtime Tribune Podcast until he graduated.
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