Atlanta Hawks fans have enjoyed a very positive offseason up to this point. They have seen the national opinion of their favorite team (mostly) change following their run to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Hawks also had one of the better hauls from the 2021 NBA Draft and filled some remaining holes with savvy trade and free-agent acquisitions.
On Friday, however, the ground moved a little.
Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk, just three days before the team’s media day is set to take place and four days before the start of training camp announced several players would be limited. Surprisingly among them were Clint Capela and Kevin Huerter.
Atlanta Hawks surprisingly announce Capela, Huerter to be limited in training camp
Throughout the offseason, there has been discussion about how the Hawks accomplished all of the things they did last season with a roster severely hindered by injuries.
We’ve long held that their anticipated improved health was a major reason we felt they were being underrated in preseason power rankings; a sentiment recently echoed by Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Per Schlenk, the expectation is Huerter and Bogdanovic will be 100% for the start of the season, and that's the hope for Capela, as well.
— Sarah K. Spencer (@sarah_k_spence) September 24, 2021
Seeing Bogdanovic listed isn’t necessarily a shock. He dealt with an avulsion fracture in his knee that seriously hindered his performance for most of the postseason.
But this is the first we are hearing of either Capela or Huerter having procedures done.
Compounding the intrigue around the announcement is the money involved. Capela just signed a two-year, $46 million extension this offseason and Huerter is looking for a new deal of his own, with some sense he could be seeking a deal on par with the one Bogdanovic signed with the Hawks last offseason.
We’ve focused on Capela, the 2021 rebounding champ, and his impact on Trae Young and John Collins specifically.
But this affects everyone.
Atlanta’s offensive rating dropped four points while their defensive rating rose six when the Swiss big man was off of the floor.
Huerter bounced back and forth between starting and the bench all last year thanks to others’ injuries. He showed a well-rounded game in the playoffs highlighted by a 27-points performance in Game 6 of the Hawks second-round series with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Schlenk did say that they expect everyone (except Onyeka Okongwu) to be ready for the start of the season, so there is no need to panic just yet.
This is still far from ideal just days from the start of training camp and, not long after, preseason. Hopefully, this is just about the extent of the injury woes the Hawks will face this coming season.