Hawks rookie center Henri Veesaar suffers injury, expected to miss season

Second-round draft pick will have knee surgery, and Atlanta will look for other depth options.

Hawks center Henri Veesaar speaks during an introductory press conference for the Atlanta Hawks' 2026 NBA draft picks at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex, Thursday, June 25, 2026, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

By AJC Sports

58 minutes ago

The Hawks will be without one of their big men for an extended period.

Rookie center Henri Veesaar was diagnosed with a torn right ACL and is expected to miss the season, the team announced Monday.

The injury occurred during a workout on Sept. 15, and the diagnosis came after an MRI and evaluation at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex, where Veesaar also will undergo surgery.

Veesaar, 22, was the 52nd overall pick in the NBA draft in June, after the Hawks traded up from No. 57 to obtain the selection from the Clippers. The 7-footer played one year at North Carolina following two seasons at Arizona (2024-25 and 2022-23). He redshirted the 2023-24 season.

Last season, Veesaar averaged 17 points and 8.7 rebounds and shot 42.6% on 3-pointers in 31 games.

Veesaar was in line to get some playing time this season to give the Hawks size in the paint. He played in both the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas Summer Leagues, including 14 points in his first game in Vegas.