De’Andre Hunter injury history and updates

How often has De’Andre Hunter been injured? Though his NBA career is quite young, Hunter has a history of reliability and durability. He rarely missed games in his two collegiate years as a Virginia Cavalier.

Recently, the Atlanta Hawks forward has not been so lucky to completely escape the clutches of luck and the wear and tear of a grueling NBA season. His right knee in particular has been a problem for him throughout the bulk of the 2020-21 season.

Here’s a look at the latest De’Andre Hunter injury updates as well as his brief injury history.

De’Andre Hunter injury update

De’Andre Hunter’s 2020-21 season came to a close in early June while the Atlanta Hawks were in the midst of a quarterfinal playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Hunter underwent surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee.

It was a big loss for the Hawks, as Hunter is one of the team’s strongest defenders. Sentimentally, it’s a disappointing absence for Hunter as he grew up in Philadelphia and now doesn’t have the chance to play playoff basketball in front of his hometown crowd.

The several right-knee injuries this year that Hunter has sustained all appear to be related, and a product of the typical wear and tear or the season that he never had a chance to fully recover from. An offseason to rest up and recover will hopefully do Hunter well, as it doesn’t appear as if the injury-causing swelling and discomfort in February ever really healed.

De’Andre Hunter knee soreness, late 2021

After returning a second time from the right knee injury, De’Andre Hunter left a game on May 10th with right knee soreness.

Hunter missed the team’s next game of the Wizards set on May 12th against the Wizards due to the injury. He returned the next game playing 15 minutes, and then played the team’s final regular-season game as well. Hunter would also go on to play every game in the first-round series against the Knicks, including an 18-point performance in Game 2.

De’Andre Hunter knee discomfort/surgery, early 2021

Due to right knee discomfort and swelling, De’Andre Hunter missed four games in early 2021 before opting to undergo a lateral meniscus arthroscopic debridement procedure. Hunter returned on March 22, but only for two games before the injury was re-aggravated.

Speaking to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, here’s what Hunter had to say about the injury as it happened:

"“I just dunked, and when I landed, I didn’t feel right,” Hunter said. “It didn’t really pop or anything, it just, it didn’t feel right and when I tried to start playing again it was stiff and I couldn’t really move it. So I knew it wasn’t minor.”"

Hunter was extremely excited to rejoin his team on the road and get back to playing.

"“Even coming on this trip is a step for me. I wasn’t traveling, I wasn’t doing much. So just coming on this trip was big for me and like I said, being able to play, or being able to play pretty soon feels good. Rehab is tough, it’s not the most fun thing, so being able to go through it and being able to play after that is always fun, so just looking forward to that.”"

Hunter’s excitement was unfortunately dampened early on in his return to the floor. After playing just two consecutive games, Hunter missed another 24 straight before returning for the final few games of the regular season. The team was relatively careful in managing his return, but as we know now, he would shortly be ruled out for the remainder of the season due to a torn meniscus.

De’Andre Hunter broken wrist, 2018

Going back beyond De’Andre Hunter’s professional career, it’s hard to find anything that indicates he’s anything but a highly durable player. The only stain on his availability due to injury was in his freshman season where Hunter broke his wrist in the ACC Tournament. He missed the National Tournament that year as a result.

Hunter would return for his sophomore season at Virginia, ultimately averaging 15.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game in that season. That year, his ACC Defensive Player of the Year skillset helped lead the Cavaliers to a National Championship.

De’Andre Hunter contract status

De’Andre Hunter is on a team-friendly rookie deal that gives them autonomy on his contract through at least 2023. They have a team option on the final year of his contract, so the 2021-22 season will be a big one for him both in regards to his injury comeback and his next deal in the league.

• 2020-21: $7,442,000
• 2021-22: $7,775,400
• 2022-23: $9,835,881 (team option)