I wrote last Friday about how frustratingly unlucky the Hawks have been with injuries, and while guys like Onyeka Okongwu, Tony Snell, Rajon Rondo, and Clint Capela have managed to get back into action, there is still a laundry list of names that Atlanta needs to return. Even with a few steps forward, the Hawks were forced to play without De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish on Wednesday, who are both day-to-day with knee injuries.
Alex reported that Danilo Gallinari is improving and getting closer to a return from an ankle sprain. He was re-evaluated this week but still doesn’t have a timetable for his return. Kris Dunn will be re-evaluated on February 1st after undergoing ankle surgery, so he’s another name that could be back in about 3-4 weeks. Unfortunately, with Bogdan Bogdanović having a fractured knee, mid-March is about the earliest we could see him in limited minutes, and it could be more like April.
But let’s imagine the best case-scenario: the Hawks are able to avoid the injury bug for the next month, and Bogdanović returns as early as possible (mid-March). Atlanta will play around 25 games between today and then, and while Lloyd Pierce has done his best working with a depleted roster, that’s over 1/3rd of the the season. There’s no reason to rush these guys back, but the Hawks are far from a serious playoff threat without them.
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