The Atlanta Hawks made a miraculous run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, but they have had their fair share of struggles to begin the 2021-22 season. After starting the NBA season 4-9, the Hawks have won 7 of their last 8 games and seem to be trending in the right direction, but injuries seem to be a big problem for this team this season.
Last year’s first-round pick Onyeka Okongwu has yet to make his season debut due to right shoulder surgery in the offseason and on November 14, third-year wing De’Andre Hunter was ruled out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair a right wrist injury.
Now, both Bogdan Bogdanovic and Cam Reddish will be out for the foreseeable future, leaving the Atlanta Hawks very short-handed at every position. One of the Hawks biggest strengths last season was their bench depth, as they had eight players finish the season averaging double-digit scoring numbers, but now said depth is going to be challenged.
The Hawks announced Sunday that guard Bogdan Bogdanovic would be out for at least two weeks after undergoing an MRI for a right ankle sprain. In their recent loss to the Knicks this past Saturday, Bogdanovic was helped to the locker room midway through the second quarter with this ankle injury.
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Earlier in this game against the Knicks, forward Cam Reddish left the game with a left wrist sprain after being on the Hawks injury report earlier in the day with left wrist discomfort. Upon further imaging, Atlanta announced on Sunday that Reddish is out indefinitely and that further updates will be provided at a further date based on daily treatment he receives.
With Hunter, Bogdanovic and Reddish all out now for the Hawks, the team is left with just Kevin Huerter on the wing, which could result in veterans Solomon Hill and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot having to step into much bigger roles.
While the Hawks do still have their dynamic trio of Trae Young, John Collins and Clint Capela, scoring is really going to be an issue for this team moving forward. With two of their top-five scorers from a season ago now sidelined, Atlanta is going to have to really dial in defensively if they are to continue their recent hot streak.
So far this year, defense has been a key concern for the Hawks, as they rank just 22nd in defensive rating and are giving up an average of 107.8 points per game to their opponents, the 11th worst mark in the NBA.
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The good news for Atlanta is that 7 of their next 10 games are at home, where the team is 8-2 on the season. With their home crowd behind them and Trae Young playing at a high-level this NBA season, maybe the Hawks will be able to survive all of these injuries, but durability is definitely going to be a concern for this team moving forward.
Danilo Gallinari, Solomon Hill, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and even rookie Jalen Johnson will have to take on larger roles for this team in the meantime given the injury situations of Hunter, Bogdanovic and Reddish.
