NBA Draft: LaMelo Ball goes first in 2020 NBA Redraft
player. 29. . Center. San Antonio Spurs. Onyeka Okongwu. 11
The Atlanta Hawks drafted Onyeka Okongwu sixth overall in last November’s draft, securing their backup center of the future and betting on the upside of a talented and versatile young big man. While injuries and the presence of starting center Clint Capela have kept him to a small minute total, it’s clear that Okongwu has a lot of upside still to tap.
Okongwu was clearly the best defensive big man in the 2020 NBA Draft, and he has shown that in brief stints. He can protect the rim and switch out onto the perimeter, allowing the Hawks to play different schemes when he is on the court.
The San Antonio Spurs could deploy him in a similar way, slotting him in as the backup to Jakob Poetl and potentially replacing him down the line. There is an argument to be made that he should go before James Wiseman, but the upside of Wiseman is still probably greater than Okongwu.
Okongwu is undersized at 6’8″, but he doesn’t let that stop him from protecting the rim; he had a few impressive blocks of opposing centers in the Hawks’ postseason run. Looking forward he should only get better on defense, with the possibility of becoming one of the league’s better interior defenders still on the table.