1 encouraging injury update & 2 other X-factors as Hawks face Pelicans

The Atlanta Hawks are still shorthanded and will be when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday evening. Atlanta is mired in a four-game skid that has been exacerbated by injuries. But they may be close to turning a corner and coming out on the other side of this trying stretch.

The Hawks’ daily injury report revealed a notable step forward for at least one key piece who has been injured.

Starting shooting guard Dyson Daniels was officially listed as questionable for Sunday’s tilt.

Hawks could get Dyson Daniels back vs Pelicans

Daniels has missed the last two games with a right hip flexor injury. He is but one of the many injuries the Hawks are dealing with. But Daniels is also arguably the most impactful given who else is in that group.

He started the first four games of the season and is one of two starters who received an update from the team.

De’Andre Hunter remains out, sidelined by a knee issue. 

Super-sub Bogdan Bogdanovic is also still out, ailed by hamstring tendinopathy, putting a lot of stress on Trae Young and Jalen Johnson to do the scoring for the Hawks with rookie Zaccharie Risacher struggling to shoot the ball and Onyeka Okongwu only recently returning to the lineup. 

Daniels’ perimeter defense will be welcomed. But it will not be a cure-all for a years-long problem for the Hawks, which was evident when he was in the lineup.

But his prowess as an off-ball option – including improved three-point shooting – is missed.

Daniels is a threat as a cutter and, as a big point guard at 6-foot-7, his ability to see the floor and push the ball in transition is critical for the Hawks in taking advantage of the stops they do get on defense.

No Dejounte Murray, many others for the Pelicans vs Hawks

The Hawks trade sending Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans was one of the biggest moves of the offseason, and it exacerbated the uncertainty around both organizations. That will continue through the early portion of the season at least thanks to injuries.

Murray’s hand injury robs the Hawks players a chance to reunite with their former teammate, and it robs fans of seeing the former All-Star’s fiery play on what likely would have been 110%.

The Pelicans have tried to adjust.

They are 3-3 on the season, but they have gone 2-3 since Murray suffered the injury in the season opener. The Pelicans signed former Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jaylen Nowell to soften the blow.

However, the Pelicans are also without CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, and Trey Murphy. That makes things easier for the Hawks on paper.

Hawks sort through back-end finances

The Hawks made contract decisions on several players this past week, picking up Daniels’ fourth-year option and the third-year option on 2023 first-round pick Kobe Bufkin, one of the players who remains sidelined by injury.

Atlanta also decided against picking up David Roddy’s option, which “Locked On Hawks” host Brad Rowland first reported on October 30.

Roddy has been an early-season surprise but would have cost more than $4 million in 2025.

None of these decisions should have a significant impact on the court. But they could be informative when the NBA draws closer to the trade deadline in February. For now, it offers some financial clarity as the Hawks gear up for Sunday’s showdown.