The injury-plagued Hawks on Wednesday provided updates on three players who have been out: guards Kris Dunn and Rajon Rondo and forward De’Andre Hunter.
Dunn, who has yet to make his Hawks debut, has had problems with both his right knee and his right ankle. Per the Hawks, Dunn had an MRI done earlier this week and underwent a PRP injection to address the discomfort in his right knee. After a two-day period of rest, he will continue his return-to-play rehab from the arthroscopic right ankle surgery he went through in late December.
The Hawks said his status will be updated as appropriate, but did not offer a rough timeline of when he’s expected back. It’s certainly a tough blow for Dunn, who has struggled to return to full health for a while now, and the Hawks, who could use Dunn’s contributions on defense.
There was some good news on the Hunter front. Hunter, who had right knee surgery Feb. 8, has progressed to “weight-bearing lower limb strength activities, form shooting and ball handling,” the team said, and will be reviewed in about two weeks. He ultimately is expected to miss about 7-10 weeks after his meniscus debridement procedure.
Hunter’s absence from the team has been glaring, in both his ability to create his own shot, his scoring and his defense. Taking a huge leap from his rookie season, Hunter was averaging 17.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 32.2 minutes per game, starting all 18 games he appeared in.
Rondo has struggled with a few different injuries during his short time with the Hawks, listed on injury reports with a left ankle sprain in late January, right knee injury maintenance in mid-January, left knee soreness in early January, right knee soreness in mid-December and now low back pain. He completed light shooting drills Tuesday, per the Hawks, and was to progress to running drills Wednesday.
Rondo has played in 14 games, averaging 15.2 minutes per game, and has averaged 3.9 assists and 3.4 points. He has not been available often, and when he has played, has often not given the Hawks the boost off the bench that they’re missing, when Trae Young is out of the game.
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