Injuries are starting to add up for the Hawks, with De’Andre Hunter out for eight weeks after right wrist surgery and now Bogdan Bogdanovic out for two weeks after spraining his right ankle in the loss to the Knicks Saturday.
That leaves Atlanta without two starters, and potentially one go-to bench player in Cam Reddish, as he also suffered an injury Saturday, spraining his left wrist.
Reddish was limited to some shooting at practice Monday, per Hawks coach Nate McMillan, and how the Hawks adjust moving forward will depend on his availability. Solomon Hill and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot got playing time vs. the Knicks when Bogdanovic and Reddish left in the second quarter.
“It just depends on Cam, his availability, but I could see both of those guys seeing some minutes here in the next couple weeks,” McMillan said of Hill and Luwawu-Cabarrot.
It’s not likely McMillan will give playing time to Jalen Johnson, the Hawks’ most recent first-round selection, as he wants to give Johnson minutes and time to develop with the College Park Skyhawks in the G League.
“We’re putting him down there with the G League where he can get minutes and play because he can’t get minutes up here with us, so that’s what it’s for and that’s what we want him to do. Is get down there and play and get as many minutes as possible.”
The only way Johnson would get playing time with the Hawks, per McMillan, is likely if they had more players out. The most likely scenario is Hill (who struggles offensively but provides a veteran presence) and Luwawu-Cabarrot (who has mostly played in garbage time) getting minutes if Reddish isn’t available, and Reddish handling more of the workload if he is available to play. The Hawks have already had to adjust to Hunter being out, with Kevin Huerter sliding in to the starting lineup filling in well so far, similar to what he did last season when injuries added up.
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