Atlanta Hawks rookie De'Andre Hunter will play against the Charlotte Hornets, but he will be coming off the bench, according to head coach Lloyd Pierce.
De’Andre Hunter will play and come off the bench, per Lloyd Pierce.
— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) December 8, 2019
Hunter missed the last two games for the Hawks due to a dislocated finger, which he suffered in their game against the Golden State Warriors.
Pierce didn't say why Hunter was coming off the bench. However, it seems the fourth overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft will not have any type of minutes restrictions against the Hornets.
This will be the first time in Hunter's young career that he will not be starting. Kevin Huerter is expected to take his spot in the starting lineup.
Hunter is averaging 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists this season.
The Hawks have lost nine of their last 10 games, and it doesn't look like they will be competing for a playoff spot yet again this season. They are currently 14th in the Eastern Conference with a 5-17 record.
The decision to let Hunter come off the bench is probably one of the Hawks' precautionary measures to make sure that the injury of their prized rookie won't get worse.
Atlanta has a set of promising young players led by Trae Young and John Collins. Hunter and fellow rookie Cam Reddish will definitely be part of the team's long-term future, and the hope is for all of them to become superstars in the NBA over the next three to five years.
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