Onyeka

Okongwu

Okongwu continues to produce stat lines that play well for fantasy managers. Unfortunately, he has struggled to compete down low against Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson, which is why the Knicks outrebounded the Hawks 48-27. Okongwu is effective in many ways, but his struggles in the paint against bigger players have been evident in this series. He’ll need to be better in Game 6 for the Hawks to have a chance.

A game-time call for Game 2 due to right knee inflammation, Okongwu was able to play 30 minutes without any issues. And he held his own against New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, grabbing as many rebounds while scoring three fewer points. For the Hawks to win this series, they’ll need Okongwu to hold serve more often than not against KAT, which he is certainly capable of doing. Game 3 is on Thursday in Atlanta.

Okongwu’s inflamed right knee will not keep him out of Monday’s game, with the Hawks needing a win to even the series at one game apiece. Mouhamed Gueye will remain in the backup center role, while Tony Bradley may pick up another DNP-CD.

Okongwu, who logged 37 minutes in Saturday’s series-opening defeat, is dealing with inflammation in his right knee. With Jock Landale (ankle) likely out for the series, the Hawks can ill afford to lose Okongwu. Mouhamed Gueye would see his minutes increase if Okongwu sits, and Tony Bradley may enter the rotation after being a DNP-CD in Game 1.

Okongwu, who sat out the Hawks’ regular-season finale with a finger injury, had no issues shooting the basketball in Saturday’s series opener. Shooting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, all that the Hawks’ center’s stat line lacked was a steal. The question for the Hawks in this series is whether they can get Okongwu more involved offensively, given how effective he was in Game 1. With Jock Landale (ankle) out for at least two more weeks, Double-O will need to be even better than he was on Saturday.

Okongwu will sit out Sunday’s regular-season finale, joining the Hawks’ other four starters on the sidelines. If Mouhamed Gueye can play, he would move into the starting center role. However, he’s questionable with a shoulder injury. Tony Bradley would be the next man up if Gueye sits.

Okongwu and Kuminga sitting out Sunday’s regular-season finale would free up rotation minutes for multiple players. That includes Zaccharie Risacher, whose playing time has decreased with Kuminga in the fold, Asa Newell and Mouhamed Gueye.

Since he was limited to eight points in a March 27 loss to the Celtics, Okongwu has reached double figures in each of his last five appearances. Against the Cavaliers, the Hawks’ starting center shot 70 percent from the field despite the challenging frontcourt matchup. However, Okongwu did not offer much on the glass or as a rim protector, something that would need to change if the Hawks and Cavaliers meet in the first round of the playoffs.

Landale has been diagnosed with a high right ankle sprain sustained during the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s win over the Magic. With the two-week timeline being for a re-evaluation, the veteran backup is not guaranteed to be available when the playoffs begin. Landale’s injury leaves Mouhamed Gueye to serve as the backup center in the short term. As for the playoffs, starter Onyeka Okongwu will likely be asked to take on a heavier workload if Landale is not back by then.

Okongwu did not shoot the ball as well as he’s capable of, but the Hawks center did record a complete stat line in Orlando. He’s recorded four defensive contributions in consecutive games, the first time since March 10-12 that Okongwu has accomplished that feat. Add in the rebounds and assists, and this was a good night for those rostering Okongwu, even if the shots weren’t falling.