The 2026-27 season is a big one for Atlanta Hawks big man Onyeka Okongwu.
NBA analyst Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report believes Onyeka Okongwu is the Atlanta Hawks player "with the most to prove" next season.
Okongwu will make $16.1 million next season.
"Only two centers attempted at least 380 threes and hit them at better than a 37.0 percent clip last season: Myles Turner and Onyeka Okongwu," Hughes wrote. "While Turner has been a renowned stretch-5 for the better part of a decade, this was new territory for Okongwu, who'd only taken 233 long-range shots in the previous five seasons combined.
"If Okongwu can back up last year's breakout with another high-efficiency, high-volume season from deep, he'll elevate his profile—as a candidate for a massive extension, as a trade chip, as a key piece of the Atlanta Hawks' core—in every possible way. Beyond that, he'll make the Hawks even more palatable as the star-trade destination their other supporting talent says they are. Nothing opens up the floor for a first-option alpha like a big man who can space to 25 feet. We've seen plenty of one-season blips like this in the past. Okongwu needs to prove his new skill is here to stay."
For the Hawks last season, Okongwu played in 74 games. He averaged 15.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 48.0% from the field, 37.6% from beyond the arc and 75.7% from the free-throw line. The USC product recorded 16 double-doubles.
Atlanta faced the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2026 playoffs. Okongwu averaged 12.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game in the six-game series. The Hawks were the only team in the 2026 playoffs to beat the Knicks twice.
Okongwu enters next season with career averages of 10.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in the regular season and 5.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in the playoffs. He needs to average a double-double next season for the Hawks to take the next step as an organization.
Atlanta is expected to start CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson and Okongwu next season. The Hawks haven't won a playoff series since 2021.
Let's see if that changes in 2027.
"I don’t compare ourselves to others," McCollum told HoopsHype about the Hawks' future. "Right now, it’s about focusing on getting better individually and collectively. We can’t control how other teams look. You can control your approach to the game. Teams will get better and evolve.
"For us, it’s about focusing on improving our intangibles, understanding our schemes, and what Quin wants from us. Then, building on the momentum and experience that we had playing in the playoffs in a big environment on the road and in our home games. We played against a team that won the NBA Finals. All those things help you as you go into a new season."
The Hawks had a busy offseason. They signed McCollum to an extension, re-signed Jock Landale, acquired Devin Carter from the Sacramento Kings, Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Ryan Nembhard from the Dallas Mavericks, declined Jonathan Kuminga's team option and drafted Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar in the 2026 draft.
