Center Onyeka Okongwu is dealing with left knee inflammation and will be sidelined for at least four games, the Hawks announced in a press release (Twitter link). According to the team, Okongwu will be reevaluated in about a week.
The Hawks will be in San Antonio on Thursday for a road game against the Spurs before returning home to Atlanta for a four-game homestand. Okongwu will miss Thursday’s contest and the first three home games of that stretch (vs. Memphis, Minnesota and Chicago). The earliest he could return would be next Saturday vs. Miami.
Although he’s technically a backup, Okongwu has actually averaged more minutes per game (23.8) than starting center Clint Capela (23.0) in 2024/25. Through 25 games, Okongwu has averaged 11.3 points and 6.6 rebounds, with a shooting line of .542/.244/.779 (he’s a low-volume three-point shooter, having converted 10-of-41 looks from long distance).
Hopefully it’s just a temporary setback for Okongwu, who missed several weeks of action last season due to a left big toe sprain. A former lottery pick (No. 6 overall in 2020), the 24-year-old big man is considered part of Atlanta’s young core. Okongwu’s four-year, $62MM rookie scale extension, which he signed in October 2023, began this season.
Unfortunately, Okongwu isn’t the only player on the roster dealing with an injury, as the Hawks announced earlier on Wednesday that second-year guard Kobe Bufkin will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.
Reserve big man Larry Nance Jr. will likely rejoin Atlanta’s rotation with Okongwu out.