For the second year in a row, Hawks guard Kent Bazemore’s season was marred by injury. The difference is, after nagging ailments contributed to a down season in 2016-17, Bazemore was having a much better year when he sustained a right knee bone bruise on Sunday.
Bazemore said that made it easier to accept the bad luck of the season-ending injury.
“I’m in a great place,” Bazemore said Tuesday. “Solid bounce-back season after last year’s efforts. I grew as a player and a leader. I’ve learned a new train of thought for an NBA season. Now it’s up to me to take it to the next level and be able to play all season.
“I felt great all year. The injury was kind of a freak accident, in my opinion. I was available every night up to that point. It was a good year overall.”
Bazemore said it will take six to eight weeks for him to fully recover from the injury. The Hawks (20-47) have been eliminated from the playoffs and have 15 games remaining, the last on March 11.
Bazemore suffered the injury during the second quarter of the game against the Bulls. He said he was “a little fatigued . . . and came down a little awkward” after jumping and attempting to make a pass.
After the injury, Bazemore immediately limped off the court and went to the locker room with the ball still in play.
“As a player, it’s just scary,” Bazemore said. “Every time you go out there there’s something looming. Anything can happen. You’ve seen so many players go down throughout the season. I didn’t really know what it was. I wanted to find out as quickly as possible.”
Bazemore, 28, probably has been the Hawks’ best player this season. He is the team’s best perimeter defender, ranks second in scoring (12.9 points per game) and assists (3.5) and leads in steals (1.5). Bazemore’s 39.4 shooting on 3-pointers (108 of 274) is the best mark of his career.
Bazemore started 65 of 65 games played at shooting guard this season. He started 64 of 73 games played last season, the first under his four-year, $70 million contract. Bazemore had arthroscopic surgery on the meniscus in his right knee in the summer of 2016 and said that stymied his athleticism.
Bazemore had foot surgery in the summer of 2014, when he signed with the Hawks as a free agent. He eventually became a starter on the 60-win team that made it to the Eastern Conference finals in 2015 after an injury to Kyle Korver. He had an offseason knee operation before last season.
Bazemore said that even before the season-ending injury, his offseason plan was to find ways to improve his durability.
“Make sure my body is moving a lot more efficiently so I don’t have these hiccups,” Bazemore said. “Bouncing back after last year not being able to move as much and coming back a lot more athletic and available every night-we are moving in the right direction.”
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