According to Atlanta Hawks announcements on Monday, De’Andre Hunter will need to sit out of the game for at least two weeks, following an MRI over the weekend that revealed inflammation in the right knee, Atlanta News First reports.
Hunter, averaging 14.9 points per game, has missed the last two games and is lined up for a nonsurgical procedure slated for Tuesday. The team anticipates that this intervention will return their fourth-leading scorer to the court. However, the Hawks acknowledge that he won't undergo re-evaluation until two weeks have elapsed. The timing is, less than ideal, as the Hawks have recently suffered back-to-back losses dropping their record to a concerning 12-17.
The 25-year-old's absence will be felt on both ends of the court, where aside from his scoring prowess, he also pulls down an average of 4.1 rebounds and dishes out 1.4 assists.
There are at least six challenging games on their schedule that Hunter is expected to miss, including a key matchup at home against Philadelphia on January 10th. The forced hiatus was given more context by AP News.
The next game against the Chicago Bulls will be Tuesday.
