Onyeka Okongwu accomplishes feat no other Hawks' player has done in history

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The Atlanta Hawks got a big win against the Phoenix Suns, as they were without Jalen Johnson and De’Andre Hunter. That meant that other players had to step up, and even though Trae Young finished with 43 points, it was Onyeka Okongwu who came up big on both sides of the ball. He finished the game with 22 points and 21 points, and he made history with the Hawks with the stat line.

“With 20 points and 20 rebounds so far tonight, Onyeka Okongwu becomes the first Hawks bench player to record at least 20 points and 20 boards in a single game,” Hawks PR wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Okongwu controlled the paint all night for the Hawks, and his versatility on both sides of the ball allowed him to be successful against the Suns’ bigs. After the game, Okongwu shared what was working for him to make history for the Hawks.

“I was just being aggressive,” Okongwu said. “We were down some guys so my team needed me to be more aggressive out there and I was able to do enough to help the team win.”

Okongwu has been solid for the Hawks this season, and he’s been splitting minutes with Clint Capela. Though he’s dealt with a couple of injuries throughout the year, when he’s available, he’s done a solid job. On offense, he has a nice hook shot and can step outside and shoot from the perimeter, and on defense, he’s not shy from guarding multiple positions if need be.

Onyeka Okongwu posts 20-20 game in Hawks win

Head coach Quin Snyder had nothing but good things to say about Onyeka Okongwu and his play against the Suns.

“I thought his activity, both on the offensive glass and defensive glass was terrific,” Snyder said. “He was getting rebounds in crowds, he was keeping balls alive. And then we had some other guys, one play that Vit [Krejci] made that really stands out, but it was a few of them where we were just getting hands on the ball and keeping it alive. That competitive endurance where you just don't compete on one play or two plays, but you continue to compete. When you do that, good things happen.”

Okongwu had a few key plays for the Hawks, whether it was calling his own number and driving to the lane, finding his teammates for open shots, or grabbing rebounds around multiple defenders.

“He's strong, so he's got space,” Snyder continued. “When he doesn't have an angle, he has a great touch. He shoots a little floater and it's hard to stop. He shoots it quickly, he's confident in that shot, and we're confident in him taking it. The other thing is that he's got great hands. He comes up with a lot of tip-ins. Maybe he can't secure the rebound, but he's able to tip it in.”

“He was playing with a whole bunch of energy around the rim,” Trae Young said. “He missed a couple of floaters. He bobbled a pass I threw to him early in the game and he was kind of upset at himself. We went to the timeout and I told them to keep feeding him.”

Okongwu has been a big part of the Hawks’ second unit all season, and he showed against the Suns that he can have a major impact on the game.

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