The Atlanta Hawks must be suffering from deja vu with the injuries to three key wing players early on in the season. De’Andre Hunter is out for another lot of surgery but thankfully it is on a tendon in his wrist and not the knee that kept him out most of last season.
Then the Hawks are missing a second starter with Bogdan Bogdanovic out for at least two weeks with an ankle injury. He has been questionable for a number of games so far this season with ankle soreness but has always managed to suit up. Hopefully, this time off will allow him to get it right as he can rest and rehabilitate without the pressure of games.
The other injured wing is Cam Reddish, who also missed the majority of last season. He has reaggravated a wrist injury and is going to be assessed day-to-day. His return will depend on how his wrist responds to treatment and this is where the schedule has actually helped the Hawks.
How the Atlanta Hawks and Cam Reddish benefit from the current schedule.
If Reddish responds to treatment then he is a possibility of playing the next game against the Indiana Pacers. This is a game that comes off on the back of three days’ rest. In fact, the Hawks have two games in six days from the end of November to the start of December.
The Pacers are also struggling this season sitting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Despite the fact that the Hawks have these key players missing they should be able to handle the lowly Pacers.
This will then give Reddish another two days to get his wrist right before the Hawks take on the Philadelphia 76ers. If he is able to do this then the Hawks will not feel the loss of Bogdanovic as much. The Hawks need to make use of this three-day break in the season, they do not get many of them.