ONYEKA OKONGWU NEWS

Drops team-high 17 against Heat Okongwu closed Monday's 98-86 win over Miami with 17 points (7-10 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), eight rebounds, three assists and two steals in 29 minutes.

Impact The efficient shooting performance resulted in a team high in points in a tight defensive battle with the Heat. Okongwu also snapped a stretch of six straight games without a three-pointer, during which he went 0-for-8 from long distance. Through 10 contests in February, the fifth-year center is averaging 14.8 points, 9.3 boards, 3.3 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.7 steals while shooting 64.5 percent from the floor.

FEBRUARY 25 • ROTOWIRE

Hawks allow their fewest points in nearly 4 years, shut down Heat 98-86

Trae Young had 11 points and 14 assists, and the Atlanta Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 98-86 victory over the Miami Heat on Monday night

FEBRUARY 25 • Associated Press

Fills stat sheet Wednesday Okongwu racked up 21 points (9-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-8 FT), 14 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals over 41 minutes during Wednesday's 149-148 overtime loss to the Knick...

Impact Okongwu was coming off three straight subpar scoring performances following the 30-point output he displayed against the Spurs on Feb. 5, but he bounced back admirably here and notched a well-rounded performance in a high-scoring affair. Okongwu has been thriving since being promoted to a starting role, averaging 13.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks per game across 14 contests since Jan. 20.

FEBRUARY 13 • ROTOWIRE

Scores season-high 30 points Okongwu racked up 30 points (13-16 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 12 rebounds, five assists and one block across 31 minutes during Wednesday's 126-125 loss to the Spurs.

Impact Okongwu moved into a starting role on Jan. 20 and hasn't disappointed fantasy managers who continue to trust in him. The big man has only three double-doubles in that stretch, but he's been very productive as a two-way presence with averages of 14.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks per contest in that span.

FEBRUARY 6 • ROTOWIRE

Double-doubles in loss Okongwu logged 12 points (6-7 FG, 0-2 FT), 11 rebounds, three assists and one steal in 29 minutes during Saturday's 132-127 loss to the Pacers.

Impact Okongwu served up a low-end double-double, his first in the past five games. The Hawks have now lost eight consecutive games, a worrying trend given the logjam in the Eastern Conference. Despite the results, Okongwu appears to have locked down the starting center position, all but guaranteeing him 28+ minutes per night moving forward.

FEBRUARY 2 • ROTOWIRE

Career-high four steals Okongwu put up 19 points (7-10 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-5 FT), eight rebounds, five assists, four steals and one block in 29 minutes of action during Saturday's 117-94 loss to the Raptors.

Impact He may have had a career night on defense, but that shouldn't overshadow Okongwu's solid overall performance by any means, as the big man contributed in every facet of the game despite the loss. The promising news for his fantasy managers is that Clint Capela made his return from injury, but it didn't affect Okongwu's volume whatsoever, as Capela saw just 14 minutes of action and took five shots off the bench. Okongwu is now averaging 15.3 points and 9.8 boards on 65.7 percent shooting as a starter. He'll look to stay hot Monday against the Timberwolves.

JANUARY 26 • ROTOWIRE

Double-double as starter Okongwu posted 19 points (6-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 7-8 FT), 12 boards, four assists, two steals and a block in 30 minutes of action during Thursday's 122-119 loss to the Raptors.

Impact The fifth-year big man logged his 10th double-double of the season in the narrow defeat. He's now averaging 14.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 64.0 percent from the field in three games as a starter this season. Although he had earned the starting job from Clint Capela (knee) prior to the latter's injury, Okongwu's volume and, with it, fantasy value, is benefitting nonetheless. Capela is currently considered day-to-day, but even when he comes back Okongwu can be expected to retain the starting job barring any sudden dips in production.

JANUARY 24 • ROTOWIRE

Near double-double as starter Okongwu put up 14 points (7-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt), nine boards, two assists and two steals through 28 minutes of action in Monday's 119-110 loss to the Knicks.

Impact Despite logging double-doubles in the last three games off the bench, Okongwu fell just short of that mark in his first outing as a starter this season. Given the fact that usual starter Clint Capela put together a similar stat line in reduced minutes with the second unit, there's a chance Okongwu's promotion isn't permanent. However, he's proven himself a fantasy option to keep an eye on nonetheless, particularly in deeper formats. His next chance to start will come Wednesday against the Pistons.

JANUARY 21 • ROTOWIRE

Onyeka Okongwu replaces Clint Capela as Atlanta's starting center Michael Scotto: The Atlanta Hawks are inserting Onyeka Okongwu into the starting lineup at center and moving Clint Capela to the bench. Okon...

JANUARY 20 • HOOPSHYPE.COM

Enters starting lineup Okongwu will enter the starting lineup for Monday's game against New York, Kevin Chouinard of the Hawks' official site reports.

Impact The writing has been on the wall for some time now, as Okongwu is in the midst of the best stretch of his career. Clint Capela will move to the second unit with this news. Okongwu's fantasy arrow is pointing straight up with the big man averaging 18.3 points, 15.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 blocks over his last three games.

JANUARY 20 • ROTOWIRE

Double-double off bench Okongwu ended Saturday's 119-115 overtime victory over Boston with 19 points (6-10 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 5-7 FT), 13 rebounds, two assists and four blocks over 32 minutes off the bench.

Impact Clint Capela got the start at center once again but did little in his 21 minutes, while Okongwu produced his third straight double-double and ninth of the season from the second unit. The fifth-year big has gone 3-for-4 from beyond the arc as he continues to work on extending his shooting range, but his primary contributions continue to come at the rim -- through eight games in January, Okongwu is averaging 11.5 points, 10.9 boards, 3.1 assists and 1.6 blocks in 25.5 minutes a contest while shooting 543.3 percent from the floor.

JANUARY 19 • ROTOWIRE

Dishes career-high seven assists Okongwu accumulated 14 points (5-9 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 3-5 FT), 13 rebounds, seven assists, one block and one steal in 27 minutes during Wednesday's 110-94 victory over the Bulls.

Impact Okongwu is coming off back-to-back double-doubles while showing his passing skills in Wednesday's win over Chicago. The 23-year-old dished out a career-high seven assists against the Bulls as he proved he can fill up the stat sheet in more ways than just points and rebounds during a career year with the Hawks.

JANUARY 16 • ROTOWIRE

Keaton Wallace scores career-high 27 points to help the Hawks beat the Bulls, 110-94

Keaton Wallace had a career-high 27 points and the short-handed Atlanta Hawks beat the Chicago Bulls 110-94 on Wednesday night

JANUARY 16 • Associated Press

Season-best outing in 20-20 game Okongwu notched 22 points (9-14 FG, 4-5 FT), 21 rebounds, one assist and one steal over 28 minutes in Tuesday's 122-117 win over Phoenix.

Impact Okongwu impressed off the Hawks bench in Tuesday's high-scoring contest, leading all players in rebounds while pacing the Atlanta second unit in scoring in a dominating 20-20 showcase. Okongwu set a new season high in rebounds, blowing past his previous season-best mark of 13 boards set Nov. 15. He has hauled in 10 or more rebounds in seven appearances while scoring north of 20 points on two occasions.

JANUARY 15 • ROTOWIRE

Playing vs. Phoenix Okongwu (face) is available for Thursday's game against the Suns, Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Impact Okongwu was questionable due to a facial contusion, but the big man will be available for this matchup. Even though he's likely to come off the bench behind Clint Capela, Okongwu should see enough minutes to be relevant in most formats Thursday.

JANUARY 10 • ROTOWIRE

Iffy for Thursday Okongwu is questionable for Thursday's game against the Suns due to a facial contusion, Brad Rowland of the Locked On Podcast Network reports.

Impact Okongwu is at risk of missing Thursday's tilt due to a facial contusion. The 23-year-old center has split time with Clint Capela at the five spot and is averaging 8.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks across 22.6 minutes in his last five outings. If he can't go, Capela and Dominick Barlow could see more action.

JANUARY 9 • ROTOWIRE

Finishes as best interior option Okongwu posted 14 points (7-12 FG, 0-1 3Pt), 11 rebounds, two assists and one block across 24 minutes during Friday's 119-102 loss to the Lakers.

Impact Facing Anthony Davis is a tough test for any defense, but Okongwu was able to make some headway. Clint Capela proved to be no match for Davis in the first quarter, and while Okongwu had the advantage of facing Jaxson Hayes while Davis took a breather, he made his mark opposite Davis enough to make a difference.

JANUARY 4 • ROTOWIRE

Provides spark off bench in return Okongwu amassed 15 points (6-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-5 FT), four rebounds, one block and two steals over 18 minutes during Sunday's 136-107 win over the Raptors.

Impact After missing five straight games with a knee injury, Okongwu provided a spark off the bench with an efficient 15 points, outscoring veteran starter Clint Capela in the process. Okongwu has been a steady presence as the backup center from Atlanta's second unit in 2024-25, most recently averaging 12.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks and 0.4 threes in 24.1 minutes covering his last 10 appearances as a solid source of swats and boards with a high field-goal percentage for nine-category fantasy managers. Capela's presence as the Hawks' starting center may continue to cap Okongwu's fantasy upside going forward, but the latter has plenty of contingent upside if the former ever were to go down with an injury.

DECEMBER 30, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Returning to action Sunday Okongwu (knee) is available for Sunday's game against the Raptors, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Impact Okongwu will return to action Sunday after missing five straight games due to left knee inflammation. Before the injury, the big man scored in double figures in eight straight games, averaging 13.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per game during that stretch.

DECEMBER 29, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Chance to play Sunday Okongwu (knee) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Raptors, Brad Rowland of the Locked On Podcast Network reports.

Impact Okongwu has missed five straight games due to left knee inflammation but may return to action Sunday. His presence would be a huge lift, as Larry Nance could miss time after leaving Saturday's win over the Heat due to a right hand injury.

DECEMBER 29, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Sidelined for Saturday Okongwu (knee) has been ruled out for Saturday's matchup against the Heat, Brad Rowland of the Locked On Podcast Network reports.

Impact Okongwu will miss his fifth consecutive outing while he deals with left knee inflammation. There is no clear timetable for his return, though his next chance to play will come Sunday against the Raptors.

DECEMBER 27, 2024 • ROTOWIRE