The Atlanta Hawks opened their 2024-25 campaign with an action-packed home matchup against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. Atlanta maintained control for most of the game and received standout contributions from multiple players. However, Trae Young and Onyeka Okungwu's efforts were historic.

Young finished the game with 30 points and 12 assists, while Okungwu amassed a career-high 28 points along with eight rebounds off the bench. The two are the first Hawks duo to each score 25-plus points in a season opener since 1993, per StatMamba.

Fans know what Trae Young is capable of, given his three All-Star appearances. However, Onyeka Okungwu's outing was a pleasant surprise.

Okungwu joined the Hawks in 2020 when the team selected him with the sixth overall pick. He entered the NBA as a highly touted prospect after playing one productive season with the USC basketball program. Before that, Okungwu was a standout at Chino Hills, the same high school where LaMelo Ball and his brother previously played.

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Okungwu has steadily improved during his time with the Hawks. His points-per-game average has risen from 4.6 during his rookie year in 2020-21 to 10.2 in 2023-24. Okungwu began to prove himself as a reliable two-way interior force, and his performance in the Hawks' season opener against the Nets further proved his ability to elevate his team.

Meanwhile, Trae Young picked up right where he left off in 2023-24. The seventh-year guard looks to help lead Atlanta to a deeper playoff run at the season's end. Young guided the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, where they lost to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.

Young received more help during the 2024 offseason when the Hawks drafted Zaccharie Riascher out of France. Atlanta looks like it has a highly promising squad going into their new campaign. Could the 2024-25 season be the one Atlanta breaks through in?