With 53 seconds left in the fourth quarter and his Atlanta Hawks on the brink of elimination, Onyeka Okongwu makes a game-saving defensive play against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After helping his team erase a 10-point halftime deficit while filling in for injured starter Clint Capela, Okongwu is assigned to Cavs center Jarrett Allen, who is playing off the ball as Caris LeVert runs a pick-and-roll with Evan Mobley. Allen slides along the baseline to clear the lane for Mobley’s roll. Okongwu reads the play, leaving Allen just as LeVert releases a lob to Mobley, who’s well past his man and in position for the alley-oop — until Okongwu flies into the frame.
With perfect verticality and no illegal contact, Okongwu turns a sure-thing dunk into a Hawks possession. That single play from Okongwu increased Atlanta’s win probability from 75% (a likely win) all the way to 93.2% (a near-certain win), per the website Inpredictable.
Okongwu, who admits to struggling with foul trouble as a rookie, may not have been capable of such a physical play like this a year ago. He might have struggled to go up vertically, or made contact with Mobley’s body via his momentum; he may not have been disciplined enough to keep his arms straight up, avoiding any risk of a foul.
He’s clearly capable now, and he says there’s a major reason why: He’s working with Don Vaden, a consultant from Third Side Coaching, and a referee whisperer of sorts.
Okongwu has decreased his per-possession foul rate by just under 10% in his second season while working with Vaden. His ability to stay on the floor was big for Atlanta in their play-in victory over the Cavs. He logged nearly 29 minutes (a top-five figure for him this year), and the Hawks outscored Cleveland by 21 points with him on the court. With Capela sidelined, Okongwu’s ability to stay out of foul trouble is paramount as he plays a larger role against the Miami Heat.
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