De'Andre Hunter's curious case and 2 other X-factors as Hawks visit Pistons

The Atlanta Hawks have a De’Andre Hunter problem.

Hunter got off to a great start to the season, averaging career-highs with 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. 

The issue is that Hunter has only been available for two games. That skews how impactful those numbers really are, though the Hawks did win the two games Hunter appeared in. It gets worse though.

Hunter’s availability has downgraded without much in the form of an explanation.

Hawks have a De’Andre Hunter problem

Originally listed as “questionable” with “right knee injury management” on the report released on November 6, Hunter received a swift downgrade to “out” later in the day.

Hunter maintained that availability on the report repleased on November 7, but the Hawks still have yet to provide clarity as to what exactly is going on with the former No. 4 overall pick who is in Year 2 of a four-year, $90 million contract.

“The only cover they have in this instance is that the Hawks are facing a back-to-back this weekend with a game on Saturday so it would be somewhat logical that he wouldn't play both ends either way,” “Locked On Hawks” host Brad Rowland said in a post on X on November 8 in response to a fan’s question about Hunter’s situation.

“But if he doesn't play on Saturday... I don't really know.”

The silver lining has been that Hunter’s absence has allowed Zaccharie Risacher to get his feet wet in what was always his eventual place in the starting lineup. 

Still, the Hawks remain without a valuable part of the rotation. Remember: Hunter proved to be a capable bench threat, which would help with the Hawks also missing pre-season Sixth Man of the Year candidate Bogdan Bogdanovic.

It also hurts any potential trade plans the Hawks may have had for Hunter.

Hunter has an extensive injury history, so this is unfortunately nothing new for the Hawks. It is still impactful.

Not time for a pivot at the pivot just yet

The discussion might need to be had, but the end result might need to remain the same. Clint Capela appears poised to remain the team’s starting center for the foreseeable future.

A combination of factors are coming into play here.

First, despite Capela averaging 9.9 PPG – his lowest mark since the 2015-16 season, his second NBA campaign – he also leads the league in field goal percentage at 73.6%. That is an especially notable mark for Capela who shot the second-worst mark (57.1%) of his career in 2023-24.

He has also been available. Coming off a 73-appearance season, Capela is one of four Hawks player to appear in all nine games this season. He is one of three starters to do that, potentially further cementing his position.

At the same time, Onyeka Okongwu has been inconsistent, both in his production and his availability.

Okongwu is averaging career-highs with 11.7 points and 1.9 assists per game.

His 5.7 boards are a step back from last season, though. Furthermore, Okongwu has logged three games with single-digit points, including two outings where he finished with 2 points. He has also missed two other contests, logging seven games this season entering play on Friday.

There is no doubting Okongwu’s talent. It is reasonable to wonder if the Hawks can rely on him to be on the floor and to produce at a high level.

Hawks viewing options update

This one is more of a season-long X-factor. But with the switch from Bally Sports to FanDuel TV, the Hawks announced an updated television schedule to highlight a package of games for Peachtree TV.

“The Atlanta Hawks, Peachtree TV (WPCH), Peachtree Sports Network and FanDuel Sports Network have agreed on a partnership to simulcast five games this season giving fans a variety of options to watch Hawks Basketball. Peachtree TV will air select Hawks games beginning with the first Hawks Cup Night presented by Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos Resort on Friday, November 15th against the Washington Wizards. This is the second consecutive season the Hawks have aired games with Peachtree TV,” the team’s statement on November 8 reads.

“These games will continue to be made available for local over-the-air distribution as part of the NBA’s agreement with Diamond Sports Group, the owner of FanDuel Sports Network Southeast (formerly Bally Sports Southeast). Peachtree TV and the Peachtree Sports Network will simulcast FanDuel Sports Network’s production of the games.”

Three of the games – Nov. 15 vs the Washington Wizards, Nov. 22 at the Chicago Bulls and Dec. 6 vs the Los Angeles Lakers – are known. 

The final two games will be announced at a later date.

Fans can find a complete viewing guide here, complete with links to purchase services from carriers offering FanDuel TV. But this announcement is a nice way to help expand the local viewing audience.