After breaking a 10-game losing streak with a win against the Warriors on Monday, some reinforcements finally arrive for the shorthanded Hawks.
Kevin Huerter, who was diagnosed with a left rotator cuff strain with an associated shoulder capsule strain after he was fouled by Nikola Jokic in the Hawks’ win in Denver on Nov. 12, will play vs. the Nets on Wednesday at State Farm Arena. He will be on a restriction of 15-20 minutes per game.
The Hawks welcome Huerter back as an additional shooting threat — in his absence, Trae Young had a hefty load to carry and has faced enormous pressure from opposing defenses. Huerter missed 11 games total, and the Hawks were 1-10 without him.
It’s particularly handy to have Huerter back Wednesday, as rookie De’Andre Hunter is out with a dislocated right index finger and will not play vs. the Nets.
“Kevin can get Trae shots,” Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said. “I think that’s a skill that we talk about with Kevin that’s a little underrated. He can create shots for other guys and take some of the pressure off Trae’s playmaking ability, but then we can also get Kevin some shots. He’s been a 40%, 38%, 39% shooter since he’s been here and we miss that.”
Having Huerter back won’t solve all the Hawks’ problems, and it likely will take time to get his conditioning back up to speed. But it will give them a boost. Entering Wednesday’s game, the Hawks rank dead last in the NBA in 3-point percentage (31.1%), which is Huerter’s specialty.
“Just being a guy who can simply make shots,” Huerter said of how he can help the Hawks upon return. “I think we struggle a little bit shooting the ball. I think guys can shoot better than how they’re shooting, but I think it’s a lot easier for (Young) if defenses are worried about other guys making shots and spacing the floor and allowing him to get in the lane and make plays. He doesn’t need too much help, but if I can just be a guy (to) make shots and make things a little bit easier for him.”
The injury actually could have been much worse, Huerter said, had his left arm been flexed when taking contact from Jokic.
“I actually got lucky,” Huerter said. “I wasn’t expecting the blow, which was my arm kind of went rubber band-like. If I was expecting the blow, or if I was coming up and my arm was flexed or anything, I could have had a more serious injury.”
This wasn't the first injury Huerter has faced this season, as right knee issues caused him to miss all five exhibition games and limited him toward the beginning of the regular season.
He shot 26.3% from 3-point range through five games in November, shooting 33.3% from the field, before looking more like his old self in the five games he played in October (shooting 48% from 3, in that small sample size, with a 48.9 field-goal percentage).
Unfortunately for both Huerter and the Hawks, as soon as he found a rhythm, the shoulder injury occurred.
“Unbelievably frustrating, to be completely honest, especially with just how the summer went and that frustrating process of dealing with the knee and never really having a point where I injured them but going through that whole rehab process, and coming all the way back, missing preseason, having all these low-minute games, just want to be on the court, and then I get back and I’m playing well, and then something else happens. … It’s definitely been a frustrating month, not only for me but for everybody,” Huerter said.
Huerter was able to play 3-on-3 in practice Monday and 5-on-5 in practice Tuesday. His shoulder isn’t at 100% yet, but since it’s his left side (Huerter shoots right), he’s progressed to the point where he can get back on the court. His right knee isn’t 100% either, though that has made progress as well.
“It’s not gone. … I’ve been dealing with it for long enough that we kind of know what treatment works, what doesn’t and that’s kind of part of this process, too, with the 15 minutes, is making sure my whole body is right, to keep working up,” Huerter said of his right knee issues, in addition to his left shoulder. “But it’s a lot better than it was previously, but it’s not like I feel nothing waking up in the morning.”
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