Onyeka Okongwu is achieving a feat that no other Hawks player has done in history

The Atlanta Hawks got a big win against the Phoenix Suns, ace they were without Jaylen Johnson and De’Andre Hunter. This meant that the other players had to step up, even though Trae Young finished with 43 pointsIt was Onieka Okongwu who came in handy on both sides of the ball. He finished the game with 22 points and 21 points, and he made history with the Hawks having a stat line.

“With 20 points and 20 rebounds so far tonight, Onyeka Okongwu becomes the first Hawks bench player to record at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game,” Hawks PR wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Okongwu controlled the paint all night for the Hawks, and his versatility on both sides of the ball allowed him to be successful against the Suns’ big players. After the game, Okongwu shared what helped him make Hawks history.

“I was just being aggressive,” Okongwu said. “We were short some guys, so my team needed me to be more aggressive and I was able to do enough to help the team win.”

Okongwu has been solid for the Hawks this season, sharing minutes with Clint Capell. Although he has dealt with several injuries throughout the year, when he is available, he has done a solid job. Offensively, he has a nice hook shot and can step outside and shoot from the perimeter, and defensively, he’s not shy about guarding multiple positions if needed.

Onyeka Okongwu has a 20-20 game in the Hawks’ win

Head coach Quin Snyder had nothing but good things to say about Onyeka Okongwu and his performance against the Suns.

“I thought his activity, both on the offensive and defensive glass, was great,” Snyder said. “He was getting rebounds in the huddle, he was keeping balls alive.” And then we had some other guys, one play that Whit (Krejci) made that really stands out, but there were a couple of them where we just got the ball and kept it alive. That competitive endurance where you don’t just compete in one or two games, you keep competing. When you do that, good things happen.”

Okongwu had several key moves for the Hawks, whether it was calling his number and driving to the lane, finding his teammates for open shots or grabbing rebounds around multiple defenders.

“He’s strong, so he’s got space,” Snyder continued. “When he doesn’t have an angle, he has a great touch. It shoots a little buoy and is hard to stop. He shoots fast, he’s sure of that shot, and we’re sure he’ll make it. Another thing is that he has great hands. He has a lot of advice. He may not be able to get the rebound, but he is able to put it in.”

“He played with a ton of energy around the rim,” Trae Young said. “He missed a few floaters. He threw away a pass I threw to him at the beginning of the game and was a little upset with himself. We went to a timeout and I told them to keep feeding him.”

Okongwu has been a big part of the Hawks’ second unit all season, and he showed against the Suns that he can have a big impact on the game.