The Hawks could be welcoming back reinforcements as the trade deadline approaches. General manager Travis Schlenk told members of the media that De’Andre Hunter would practice on Tuesday with a chance of playing Wednesday against the Miami Heat.
Hawks GM Travis Schlenk says DeAndre Hunter will go through a full practice today, and “there’s a chance we could see him out there tomorrow night.”
— Mike Conti (@MikeConti929) January 11, 2022
Hunter has struggled to stay on the court since the Hawks selected him fourth overall in the 2019 NBA draft. In the middle of November, the former Cavalier underwent wrist surgery to repair an injured tendon after only 11 games, in which he averaged 11 points on 45% shooting from the floor and 39.5% from deep — the best shooting of his career. As usual, Hunter was playing fantastic defense and was coming off a 26-point performance against the Nets in early November.
The good news was it wasn’t a lower-body injury, and Hunter is nearing a return. The Hawks need some infusion of defensive tenacity, and Hunter can be just that. Hopefully, he returns against the Heat and proves to be the difference-maker the Hawks need to dig themselves out of this hole.
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