Rookie center Henri Veesaar will miss the 2026-2027 season after tearing his right ACL in a workout on Sept. 15, leaving the Hawks to sort through their center depth before training camp even gets rolling.
The injury was confirmed after an MRI and evaluation at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex, according to the team’s update. Veesaar is set to have surgery with Dr. Kyle Hammond.
For Atlanta, the loss stings even if Veesaar wasn’t projected to be a major part of the nightly rotation right away. The No. 52 pick in this year’s draft was expected to battle for the Hawks’ third-center spot behind Onyeka Okongwu and Jock Landale, while likely spending plenty of time with the College Park Skyhawks in the G League. He showed enough during Summer League to hint at real upside, especially with his shooting touch, but that progress is now on hold before his rookie season can even begin.
Veesaar’s college production at North Carolina helped build that buzz. He played in 31 games, all starts, and averaged 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 31.4 minutes per game.
He also earned a spot on the 2025-26 All-ACC Second Team. In the ACC, he finished eighth in scoring, fourth in rebounding, and second in field goal percentage.
This is the second significant injury hit Atlanta has taken this offseason. In July, the Hawks announced that forward Mouhamed Gueye had suffered a foot injury and would not be reevaluated for 3-4 months, which puts his availability for training camp and the preseason in doubt.
That leaves Atlanta with decisions to make. Okongwu and Landale are the obvious front-line answers at center, but the Hawks were reminded last season that depth behind the top two matters, especially after Landale was missed in the playoffs.
The hope is simple: those two stay on the floor. The reality is that an 82-game season rarely cooperates.
The current in-house options are thin. Gueye backed up at center during the postseason series against the Knicks, but Atlanta does not see him as a center long term, and he is also a possible cut candidate with the Hawks currently carrying 16 players, one over the regular-season limit.
There are a few paths from here. Zuby Ejiofor, the No. 23 overall pick in this year’s draft, has enough versatility to play both the four and the five and was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year last season at Saint Johns.
He could step into the third-center role. Asa Newell, the Hawks’ 2025 first-round pick, is another possibility, though Atlanta also does not view him as a center and his defensive issues make that a tougher fit.
If the Hawks stay internal, Ejiofor looks like the likeliest answer.
Atlanta could also open up a two-way spot by releasing one of Jalen Wilson, RayJ Dennis, or Keshon Gilbert and then bringing in a center there. The Hawks used Christian Koloko in that kind of role last season, and he helped when Krisptaps Porzingis was out.
There’s also the trade market. NBA insider Jake Fischer reported last night that the Hawks have discussed a Buddy Hield for Dorian Finney-Smith swap, and Finney-Smith has experience as a small-ball center. It wouldn’t be a perfect solution, but it would give Atlanta a player who has filled that role before and has also shown he can knock down shots, even after an injury-plagued 2025-2026 season with Houston that led to his move to Charlotte.
Atlanta could also pursue a more traditional big with size and length.
However the Hawks choose to handle it, Veesaar’s injury is a painful setback. He won’t get the chance this season to show why some viewed him as a first-round talent, and now Atlanta has to navigate a roster crunch while finding a way to protect itself at center. The options are there - two-way help, a trade, or an internal promotion - but the Hawks have been around long enough to know that banking on perfect health is a risky bet.
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Instead, the Hawks now have to map out a future without him for a while after the team said he will be sidelined for an extended stretch. The injury creates an unexpected gap in a part of the roster the Hawks were counting on to stabilize, and the next step in his recovery will loom large as the organization waits for more clarity on how to replace that lost development time. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Suddenly Have A Center Rotation Question Before Opening Night
The Hawks frontcourt picture took an immediate hit before opening night when rookie center Henri Veesaar went down with a torn ACL in his right knee. The injury wipes out what had been a developmental option for Atlanta in the middle and thins out a group that was already going to be worth watching closely as the season approached.
Atlanta still has established centers Onyeka Okongwu and Jock Landale to anchor the rotation, but Veesaars absence changes the depth chart behind them. It also opens the door for other young bigs to see more time, with Asa Newell and Zuby Ejiofor now standing to benefit if the Hawks decide to spread those extra center minutes around. [Read more 🡒]