The Atlanta Hawks have been one of the most surprising teams in the NBA this year and are in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race, but now they will have to be without De'Andre Hunter for a while as he will be undergoing surgery, the team announced.
An @emoryhealthcare injury update:
D. Hunter will undergo a lateral meniscus arthroscopic debridement procedure on Monday. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Kyle Hammond, the Hawks’ team orthopaedist. An update on his recovery plan will be provided in approximately two weeks. pic.twitter.com/2rFBKKZ1CA
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 7, 2021
Hunter will miss at least a couple of weeks and could be out for a couple of months, depending on his recovery process, which comes as bad news for the Hawks. Hunter is averaging 17.2 points with 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 51.4 percent from the field in his second season out of Virginia.
He has become a staple in the lineup for the Hawks, especially with injuries to Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari, and they will look elsewhere in an attempt to replace his production.
Hunter was the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and was heralded as one of the best defenders in the draft class as well as a 3-point specialist coming out of college.
The Hawks are currently 11-12 and sixth in the Eastern Conference as Trae Young continues to play at a high level. The Hawks' run back to the playoffs isn't unlikely, but the loss of Hunter will be a tough one to replace.
Tony Snell, Solomon Hill, and Gallinari seem to be the likely candidates to get an increase in minutes during Hunter's absence, and fellow 2019 first-rounder Cam Reddish will likely see more usage as he slides in and fills Hunter's role during his absence.
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