ATLANTA – Over the past few years, Onyeka Okongwu hasn't been afraid to let the three-ball fly, and teams have empowered him to keep shooting it. Results like tonight happen when you keep shooting it, and Okongwu's seven three-pointers led the Hawks to a 135-101 win against the Portland Trail Blazers.
When the Hawks played the Trail Blazers earlier this season, Okongwu shot 15 three-pointers, but could only make five of them. This time, he took 12.
After a few players fell down in the first quarter, he looked at the Trail Blazers' bench and pointed out how many threes they had at the moment.
“I know a coach there,” Okongwu said. "I was looking at him like, 'You let me shoot all night?' Then, after my fourth, I asked them to change the coverage.
Fun fact: They didn't change the coverage.
Okongwu basically stayed on the perimeter all night, compensating for Donovan Clingan's paint presence and forcing him to step up to the three-point line to defend himself.
“When I make a one, two, or three, they have to do something about it,” Okongwu said. "When it rains, it pours."
"He tells everybody in the locker room he's the best shooter in the locker room," Dyson Daniels said. "So if they leave him open like that, he's got to go out and prove it. When he's hot and knocks them down like he did, you find him, even when he's not knocking them down. We're confident." [Okongwu] To take those shots; We want him to take those shots. “It helps our team.”
That rain turned into a big storm for the Trail Blazers, as the Hawks continued to drain three-pointers, use their lightning speed to score points in transition, and throw down several emphatic dunks throughout the game. But it all started with how Okongwu created the environment to begin with.
"Before the game, they were joking saying shoot 20 threes tonight. Everyone was telling me to shoot them if they wanted to play with me like that. And tonight, they had to pay for it," Okongwu said.
“You become more confident when your teammates trust you,” Quin Snyder said. "Guys were looking for him. We talked about not trying to attack the rim if the rim is safe. Those were the shots we saw him take and make. The last few games, he didn't shoot as good as he wanted to, but he came in and did the extra work, and it showed tonight."
If there's one person who has helped build confidence in Okongwu to shoot the ball, it's Snyder. Since he became the head coach, Okongwu has shot more three-pointers every season. After a while, Snyder designed plays for Okongwu to get open looks on the perimeter.
Now, Okongwu's three-pointers come in the flow of the offense, and teams have to come out and try to guard him.
It seemed like the Trail Blazers didn't want to make any adjustments to their game plan, so Okongwu continued to make shots. He finished the game with 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists as the Hawks finished their homestand with their fourth consecutive win.
