Hawks Lose Their Backup Center For At Least Four Games

Selected sixth overall in the 2020 NBA Draft , Onyeka Okongwu is now in his fifth season, all with the Atlanta Hawks.

While he has mostly been used as a reserve center behind Clint Capela , Okongwu has been one of the most productive reserve big men in his time in the league.

This season, while only coming off the bench, Okongwu is actually averaging slightly more minutes than Capela.

Unfortunately, an Onyeka Okongwu injury will now cause him to miss at least the next four games.

Hawks Lose Their Backup Center For At Least Four Games Onyeka Okongwu Injury Will Sideline Him For At Least Four Contests The 6-foot-8 Okongwu played 19 minutes in the Hawks most recent game, their semifinals loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup .

The Hawks tweeted out on Wednesday that the recently-turned 24-year-old Okongwu has left knee inflammation.

He will now be out of action for at least the next four outings.

An @emoryhealthcare injury update: Center Onyeka Okongwu (left knee inflammation) will be out for the next four games and will be re-evaluated in approximately one week.

His status will be updated as appropriate.

pic.twitter.com/HmnDsrXqEU Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 18, 2024 Its a tough break for Okongwu and Atlanta.

Being out for at least the next four games means the earliest he could come back is December 28 against the Miami Heat.

In each season of his career, Okongwu has seen his scoring average increase.

In 25 games this season, hes averaging a career-high 11.3 points in 23.8 minutes.

Okongwu also has averaged 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

He has shot 54.2% from the field, 24.4% from beyond the arc, and 77.9% from the foul line.

As mentioned, Okongwu has received slightly more playing time than their full-time starter in Capela.

The 30-year-old Capela is playing 23.0 minutes per contest, 0.8 less than Okongwu.

Now 30 years old, the 6-foot-10 Capela has been rumored to be a trade candidate.

He is on an expiring deal worth $22.27 million.

During the 2023-24 season, Okongwu saw his most playing time averaging 25.5 minutes in his 55 appearances.

He has played at least 20 minutes per game in each season since his rookie year and has started 36 games of his 258 career appearances.

In October of 2023, Okongwu and the Hawks agreed on a rookie scale extension of four years, $61.98 million.

That extension began this season and runs through 2027-28.

Larry Nance Jr.

Likely Candidate To Move Into Rotation With Okongwu out at least for four games, that frees up minutes at the backup center position for Atlanta.

Acquired in the deal that sent Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans, Larry Nance Jr.

is the likely candidate to soak up those minutes.

The 31-year-old has mostly been out of the Hawks rotation, playing in just 10 outings.

Nance Jr.

hasnt played in 12 of the last 13 games, only appearing as a starter on December 8 when Jalen Johnson was out of action.

The 6-foot-8 Nance has averages of 8.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists this season.

The Hawks go on the road Thursday to take on the San Antonio Spurs.

With Okongwu out at least four games, he also will be unavailable for three home games against the Memphis Grizzlies (December 21), Minnesota Timberwolves (December 23), and Chicago Bulls (December 26).

Atlanta currently owns a 14-13 record, good for seventh-place in the Eastern Conference.

The Hawks are 7-2 in their last nine games, allowing for an ascension up the standings.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission..

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