Atlanta Hawks are on fire - USC's Onyeka Okongwu has been lights out

Without their star Trae Young, the Atlanta Hawks have been on a very impressive run. The Hawks have gone 7-3 in their ten games without Trae Young. They have gotten massive production from guard Nickeil Alexander, who is averaging 18.3 points per contest as of right now, and Jalen Johnson, who has really put on the cape for this team. Johnson is averaging 22 points per contest and is looking like the most improved player in the NBA this season so far. One name that has not been mentioned as much is former USC Trojan big man Onyeka Okongwu, who has been great.

Okongwu is averaging 16 points per game this season and has been lights out from the three-point line, shooting 40% from behind the arc. In the last 4 games, Okongwu has put up scoring outputs of 21, 27, 32, and 21. His 32-point performance versus Utah last Thursday was truly a special outing. Onyeka Okongwu knocked down 8 three pointers on 57% efficiency. Kristaps Porziņģis was meant to be the big man who stretched the floor this season and knocked down threes at a high level, with the unicorn being out for the last three games. Okongwu showed he can do that just as well.

The last 4 games might now be sustainable for the big man, but this is really encouraging seeing Okongwu improve beyond the arc and he is making the most of getting more minutes. His development has been fun to watch this season and for the Hawks to reach the Eastern Conference Finals once again, it will take players like Okongwu making a huge impact.

Kristaps Porziņģis has never been a player that organizations can trust to be on the court on a consistent basis, but the Hawks having a player like Okongwu will really be great insurance for this team not being hindered by the unicorn's lack of availability. This team could be really scary if they try to use both Okongwu and Porziņģis on the same court at the same time once Porziņģis gets back healthy.

The Hawks right now are sitting at 9-6 in the standings and in 5th place in the East. The Hawks ironically look better without Trae Young, but he still remains one of the elite players in the NBA, and once he gets back healthy, he will get back right with this team. While all of the other cast for this team keep ascending and players like Okongwu continue to rise, this team could end up being one of the final teams left in the East.

Trae Young finally has the best supporting cast he has yet to date in his tenure, and it will be exciting to see what he can do with this roster this season. Who knows, there might be a former USC Trojan competing for a championship ring at the end of the season.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Without Trae Young the Hawks have thrived with Onyeka Okongwu