Forward De’Andre Hunter is set to return on Wednesday night for the Hawks after recovering from right wrist surgery, according to Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).
In a couple of separate tweets, Spencer notes that Clint Capela and Cam Reddish are out Wednesday due to sprained ankles, so Atlanta’s starting lineup will be made up of Trae Young, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, John Collins, and Onyeka Okongwu.
We noted on Tuesday evening that Hunter was close to returning to action after participating in a full five-on-five practice. Now in his third year as a pro, the 24-year-old has played just 11 games this season after injuring a tendon in his right wrist which required surgery in November. At the time, the Hawks said he could return in approximately eight weeks, which aligns nearly perfectly with his return date, so it’s great news for both player and team that he’s right on schedule.
Hunter has struggled with injuries in his young career, but he’s shown tantalizing glimpses of improved offense and strong defense in the 34 games he’s played over the past two seasons. Through 11 games (27.8 MPG) in 2021/22, Hunter is averaging 10.8 PPG and 2.7 RPG for Atlanta, currently 17-22, 12th in the East.
Auditioning for a trade….right? Lol
Hunter is vastly underrated and Hawks will now go onto win streak to get back into playoffs. MacMillan will correctly take away minutes from Bogdan., Williams, TLC and Gallinari who all are just playing like all those hardship players, if that.
Way to go there.
The mysterious Hawks: they should have slumped last year, after the willy-nilly FA signings, not this year, when they should have enough talent to survive all the protocols and be used to each other. A good case for not gambling big money!