The biggest surprises of the Atlanta Hawks next season sleepers’ choice
The biggest surprises of the Atlanta Hawks next season sleepers’ choice: The Atlanta Hawks made a lot of changes to their lineup over the offseason. After an exciting NBA Draft, the Hawks traded Danilo Gallinari and several first-round picks for All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs. But they also decided to trade shooting guard Kevin Huerter to the Sacramento Kings for Justin Holiday, Maurice Harkless, and a first-round pick in the future. In addition to these trades, the Hawks also got Aaron Holiday and Frank Kaminsky as free agents.
What are Hawks looking at?
Even though the Hawks kept their core group of stars, they made a lot of significant changes. They brought in a lot of new talent and kept some players who could help them go far in the playoffs again. From their starters to their important bench players, the Hawks have put together an elite team with a lot of versatility that could be a problem in the Eastern Conference next season.
But since we know what to expect from Trae Young, DeAndre Hunter, Clint Capela, John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and even Murray, there are still a lot of minutes to go around. This gives every bench player the chance to step up this season and show what they’re made of. But the most interesting question is which two players off the bench have the best chance of being the Hawks’ biggest sleepers.
The Hawks have a lot of players who could step up, from first-year players to second-, third-, and fourth-year players to seasoned veterans. But of all the players on the Hawks’ bench, here’s why the following two will be the biggest surprises by the end of the season:
Two Biggest Sleepers on the Hawks’ Side
Tyrese Martin – SG/SF
Tyrese Martin could be the Hawks’ biggest surprise this season for at least two big reasons. First, Martin can play well on both sides of the ball, which is a good start. Second, Martin has become a great catch-and-shoot 3PT specialist on the offensive side. This is something he really got good at during his senior year at UConn, when he shot 43%.
Martin’s speed, strength, and athleticism also make him a powerful force when he gets inside. Martin was also one of the best rebounding guards in the country. In his last two years of college, he averaged 7.5 rebounds per game.
Onyeka Okongwu – C
By the end of the 2022–23 season, Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu, a third-year player from USC and the 6th overall pick in 2020, is likely to be the team’s most crucial sleeper. Even though he took a big step forward as a sophomore, Okongwu’s steady growth since college could help him take an even more significant step forward in the NBA this season.
Okongwu showed in his one season at USC how good he can be as a two-way inside threat. Okongwu averaged 16.2 points, 61.6% shooting from the field, 8.6 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, and 1.2 steals in the 30.6 minutes he played in each of the 28 games he started.
Even though he might be limited by how much Capela plays and how healthy he stays, Okongwu has everything he needs to have a big breakout season in which he scores 14.7 points, grabs 10.0 rebounds, and blocks 2.0 shots per 36 minutes.