Atlanta Hawks: 3 players who need to step up in De’Andre Hunter’s absence

The Atlanta Hawks received more bad De’Andre Hunter news in that he is likely to miss approximately the next seven weeks. According to Sarah K Spencer of AJC, Hunter has had an MRI on his right wrist and will undergo surgery.

Hunter was just starting to get back into the swing of things before the injury, playing some good offense to go along with his stellar defense. Unfortunately, the injury does not come at a good time for the win-now Hawks so the team are looking for other players on the roster to step up in his absence.

Fortunately, the team is used to covering for the loss of their best wings given that they played less than a third of the season with their first choices in 2020-21. Hunter missed the majority of the season with a knee injury and Cam Reddish missed with an Achilles injury. Let’s see who the Hawks will need to step up this season to continue their success.

Atlanta Hawks player to step up No. 3) Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot

While Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot is unlikely to see a great deal of court time, he is going to be crucial to come on in situations as he did against the Boston Celtics. He played 18 seconds for the entire game but that is crucial for the team. He only played six seconds against the Charlotte Hornets and got 1:27 of junk time against the OKC Thunder.

This is how Luwawu-Cabbarot is going to get more game time. He needs to stay ready and do a job every time that he hits the floor. He will come on for the end of periods if there is a defensive possession and the Hawks coaching staff do not want to risk another foul on Kevin Huerter or Cam Reddish.