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The Atlanta Hawks' season is officially over after they lost to the Miami Heat 123-114 in the Play-In Tournament. It was a hard-fought battle between both teams, but the Hawks didn't have enough to get the win at the end of the day. Onyeka Okongwu was one of the players who gave it their all in the game, as he finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds. The more impressive stat about Okongwu was him playing close to 50 minutes, which was the most by any player in the game.
Okongwu knew the stakes of the game, and afterward, he told the media what he shared with head coach Quin Snyder while they were on the floor.
“I told him leave me out there. I’ll play the whole game if you need me to,” Okongwu said.
“Onyeka had to go out there and play 49 minutes tonight,” Trae Young said. “That’s not easy for anybody, and you gotta give him credit for the way he played, with how many minutes he played. Going up against Bam [Adebayo], they had [Kel'el] Ware in there, they got a couple of options they can throw at O. It’s tough for him.”
Okongwu has shown steady growth this season, and he really blossomed after taking the starting center spot in January. Since then, Okongwu has shown the ability to stretch the floor, defend multiple positions, and be a playmaker. All of that was shown against the Heat, but unfortunately, the Hawks were not able to walk away with the win.
Onyeka Okongwu shares his assessment of Hawks' season
Okongwu was also asked how he would assess the entire season for the Hawks.
“It was a lot of growth, like Zaccharie [Risacher] throughout the year, me, Dyson [Daniels], even Mo [Gueye]. I know we’re not going to the playoffs, but to see those guys blossom into the players they are now,” Okongwu said. “I’m so proud of these guys, they kept their heads up, they’ve shown their growth on the court, and even though we didn’t make the playoffs, I’m looking forward to them growing more, blossoming throughout the summer, and being ready for next year.”
This was supposed to be a developmental year for the Hawks, but they ended up showing signs of being competitive. Injuries and trades happened, but the Hawks were still able to win 40 games this season and have a chance at making the playoffs in the end.
Next season, the Hawks should be much better with a year under the belts of the new guys, and them coming in fully healthy. If Okongwu continues to work on his game as well, the sky is the limit for him and what he's able to do with the Hawks moving forward.
