The Atlanta Hawks finally put an end to their 6-game skid with a 120-100 win over the Milwaukee Bucks Sunday. The celebration was short-lived, after it was confirmed by multiple outlets, that forward DeAndre Hunter would require surgery on his right wrist. This latest setback sidelines Hunter for approximately eight weeks or around two months.
This a sight all too familiar for Hunter and the Hawks, as he only played in 23 games all of last season due to a nagging-knee injury. The young forward will now head back to the rehab room, and hopefully, be back at full strength for the second-half stretch of the NBA season. Through 11 games, Hunter was averaging 10.8 points per game and 2.7 rebounds per game in 27.8 minutes of action. The now 5-9 Hawks will miss Hunters presence on the defensive end. Especially, for a unit that is currently ranked second-to-last in total team defense. Only the New Orleans Pelicans are worse.
In less serious news, but something that made Hawks fans hold their breathe, Cam Reddish injured his leg against the Bucks on Sunday. He was available to return to the game and finished with a stat line of 4 points-2 assists-5 rebounds in 17 minutes of action. Reddish, also has a checkered injury history, so the Hawks will keep an eye on that moving forward.
With Hunter out, look for Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari, Solomon Hill, Reddish, and potentially, rookie Jalen Johnson, to help fill in those minutes.
This is a same ole same ole deal from last year. The hawks are deep. Hunter will be missed, but they have players that can cover Hunters loss. The hawks must go into defense first mode. They have the offense to win, but defense has become a problem. We need to intertwine defensive players in the rotation. BOGO is not getting it done on either offense or defense. Coach need to start Kevin and allow Bogi to come off the bench. Bogi is becoming a poster with strong shooting teams.