Re-drafting the 2020 NBA Draft: Tyrese Maxey rises, Sixers target another guard

Re-drafting the 2020 NBA Draft — 6. Onyeka Okongwu, Atlanta Hawks

We didn’t see much of Onyeka Okongwu last season because of injury, but when he played, he was genuinely impactful. He played important minutes in the playoffs, and looked the part of Atlanta’s future in the frontcourt. The Hawks have several talented bigs on the roster, but it’s only a matter of time until more opportunities open up for Okongwu.

Given the scarcity of playing time, you could read this pick as more projection than others in this range. Okongwu is probably the least “proven” top-10 pick in this re-draft, but he was the right pick on draft night, and I remain confident in his skill set today. He’s a hyper-versatile frontcourt defender with excellent instincts as a weak-side rim protector. On offense, he’s already an efficient rim runner, converting on 64.4 percent of his field goal attempts last season.

Okongwu would do well to add a 3-point shot over time, but even in his limited role as a run-jump big, he’s exceedingly talented. The Hawks would do well to clear out rotation minutes for him once he’s back healthy next season. Until then, Atlanta can sit back and enjoy the fruits of flawlessly executed roster building.