Hawks swapping one center for another based on latest injury update

Usually, the NBA All-Star break is an opportunity for teams to get healthy as they prepare to grind out the remainder of the regular season and finish strong, but that wasn’t the case for the Atlanta Hawks.

The Hawks are welcoming starting center Clint Capela back to the lineup on Friday when they host the Toronto Raptors in their first game following the break, who missed Atlanta’s previous six games after suffering a left adductor strain on Feb. 3 against the Golden State Warriors.

However, they will be without promising young center Onyeka Okongwu, who will be sidelined “for the foreseeable future,” with a left big toe sprain, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said earlier today – according to Lauren L. Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Hawks adding Clint Capela back in the mix, but losing Onyeka Okongwu 

Williams also notes that Snyder stated that since it has been roughly three weeks since Capela last played, he will likely be on a minute restriction in his return to action against the Raptors, paving the way for center Bruno Fernando to earn additional playing time while Okongwu is out.

Averaging 10.2 points while shooting 61 percent from the floor and making 33.8 of his three-point attempts, adding 7.0, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 blocks per contest, Okongwu’s absence is a brutal blow for a Hawks team looking to remain in the NBA Play-In/playoff picture.

Sitting at 24-31 and in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings, time is of the essence for Atlanta, so losing their talented 23-year-old center will be challenging to overcome. The return of Capela should help ease the void left by Okongwu.

Hopefully, for the Hawks’ sake, they can have their dynamic center tandem back on the court together sooner rather than later as they try to make the most out of a turbulent 2023-24 season.