Atlanta Hawks: De’Andre Hunter will be sorely missed

The Atlanta Hawks were dealt a significant blow when the team announced that second-year forward De’Andre Hunter would be sidelined at least another two weeks. Hunter underwent an unspecified non-surgical procedure on his right knee on Jan. 30th after an MRI revealed articular wear and tear. Hunter was set to undergo a lateral meniscus arthroscopic debridement procedure today in hopes of resolving his ailments and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

Hunter has emerged as one of the top players on the Hawks, both offensively and on defense. He’s been arguably the most consistent player on the team besides Clint Capela and played his way into the Most Improved Player conversation. He was second on the Hawks in scoring (17.2 points per game) before being sidelined, though John Collins has upped his scoring in the wake of Hunter’s injury.

What this means for the Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks are 9-9 in the 18 games De’Andre Hunter has played this season and dropped three of the five games he’s missed thus far. So far, it isn’t proven easy to replace Hunter’s production and versatility on both ends of the court.

Hunter improved his stats across the board after an underwhelming rookie campaign. His scoring has improved from 12.3 to 17.2 points per game, while we also saw a slight jump in rebounding (4.5 to 5.4) and assists (1.8 to 2.2).

His offensive efficiency is where you see the most noticeable improvements. This season he’s posting shooting splits of .514/.366/.877 compared to .410/.355/.764 his rookie season. His 64.0 true shooting percentage is second on the team, a shade behind Danilo Gallinari’s 64.2 percent.

Though he’s shown major improvements on the offensive side, his defense is what will probably be missed more than anything. Hunter has displayed the ability to guard positions one through four and lock onto the opposing team’s best player. He boasts the third-best defensive rating (105.9) and net rating (5.3) on the team. He’s third on the team in steals per game (0.9), rebounds (5.4), and second in minutes per game (32.1).

The Atlanta Hawks have a brutal ten-game stretch coming up in which they face the Boston Celtics three times and the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, OKC Thunder, Miami Heat, and Dallas Mavericks one time each.

Without their best perimeter player and most consistent player of the season, the Hawks will likely slide down from sixth place in the Eastern Conference when they get through this stretch. Hunter will be sorely missed by this young Hawks team that was finally starting to make some noise.

In a season that’s been mired by injuries and full of uncertainty, De’Andre Hunter’s play has been one of the few bright spots on the season for Atlanta. In his absence, the Hawks will continue to look at Cam Reddish, Kevin Huerter, Danilo Gallinari, and John Collins to step up and bridge the production gap.

Hoping for a speedy recovery. Get well soon, Mr. Hunter.