Ahead of the Atlanta Hawks’ road tilt against the Milwaukee Bucks, the visitors made a notable change. The Hawks have made many adjustments this season for myriad reasons: injury, inconsistency, and trades.
After going with Vit Krejci in their last outing – a 122-112 loss to the Miami Heat – Hawks are turning back to Mouhamed Gueye.
Gueye had started 18 of 24 games since the trade deadline before the loss to the Heat.
He did not play in that game. Gueye offers size for the Hawks, who are without starting forward Jalen Johnson, top backup Larry Nance Jr., and former starting center Clint Capela, whose presence would at least allow current C1 Onyeka Okongwu to slide over for some minutes.
Gueye, 22, is averaging 5.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and a hair under 1.0 assists per game as a starter, and he has shot 28.3% from downtown during his recent stint.
Krejci had 14 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists versus the Heat.
His minus-8 plus-minus tied for the second-best among Hawks starters in that contest. It was his first start since January. Krejci has averaged a 10.6/3.8/3.1 line in 16 starts this season, canning 42.2% of his triples.
He drops to 5.1 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 2.1 APG as a reserve, which has been the case in 32 games this season.
Hawks get good news after availability scare
The Hawks have navigated a slew of injuries this season, and they almost had to face the Bucks down another player. A few hours before tipoff, the Hawks announced Caris LeVert as a late addition to the injury report with an “illness.”
LeVert has been the Hawks’ second-leading scorer while playing the second-most minutes since coming over at the deadline in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Hawks would announce that LeVert was available, but the scare is a gentle reminder.
With just eight games to go after facing the Bucks, the Hawks need all hands on deck as the prepare for the postseason and, hopefully, the playoffs. They control their destiny in that regard, which is surprising given the circumstances.
However, they have also shown a propensity for letdowns in games they are or should win throughout the season.
Whichever version of the Hawks shows up down the stretch is critical.
They are a young team, though. So even meager postseason exposure will do more good than it would harm.