The Atlanta Hawks still don’t have a clean answer for what’s happening at the rim, and the injury report isn’t offering much relief.
Through 12 games, their interior defense has been uneven at best and rough at times. That problem has been made worse by the health situation in the frontcourt, where key pieces have been missing for much of the season. Before the year even started, Atlanta knew it would be without Mo Gueye and Henri Veesaar for a decent chunk of time, and while the rookie’s impact remains unknown, the Hawks could certainly use Gueye back in the mix.
He’s the kind of player who can change the tone of a defense right away. Gueye brings rim protection, and at his age and size, he’s already a quality defender.
In fact, he’s one of Atlanta’s best on that end. For now, though, the Hawks have to keep going without him.
That wait is going to last a while longer.
The first update on Gueye took nearly a month to arrive, but the team finally released one. Atlanta said the 24-year-old forward is “progressing to on-court activities,” and will be “re-evaluated in approximately four weeks.”
That means the Hawks will be without him for at least another month, and the timeline could stretch even further depending on what comes out of that re-evaluation.
There is a silver lining, though. This stretch gives Atlanta a chance to clean up one of its biggest weaknesses while Gueye is still sidelined.
When he does return, the Hawks won’t need him to carry the whole burden of fixing the defense on his own. That kind of expectation can be a lot for any player, especially one still developing.
The bigger picture is that Atlanta does have the pieces to build a stronger presence inside. The plan has been to keep opponents out of the paint by pressuring the ball on the perimeter, and if a driver slips through that first line, the Hawks should have enough help waiting down low.
They’ve already seen some tough frontcourts, so the lessons have been there. The challenge now is turning those exposed flaws into something better. For a team built to compete in the modern NBA, that kind of growth matters.
And when Gueye finally gets back, it should help.
In Other News...
Hawks Get A Big Opening In Pace Battle With Short-Handed Bulls
The Bulls already difficult start just got a little more complicated heading into their matchup with the Hawks. Chicago is trying to dig out of a 1-9 hole, and the game brings together two teams that like to push the tempo, which usually makes for a faster, looser kind of night than the standings might suggest.
For Atlanta, the opening is obvious: a short-handed opponent in a game where pace can turn into extra possessions and easy offense. Chicago will have to lean harder on its other young pieces to keep up, but the bigger question is how well it can hold together against a Hawks team that should be eager to run and pressure the game from the opening tip. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Get A Real Chance To Build Momentum In Chicago
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For the Hawks, this is the kind of spot where the details matter, especially on the interior and in the backcourt. Recent trends point to Onyeka Okongwu and Dyson Daniels as the players most likely to shape the game for Atlanta, giving the Hawks a realistic path to build momentum if they handle business against an opponent that has left plenty of openings. [Read more 🡒]
Kingston Flemings Is Giving The Hawks A New Point Guard Debate
Early in the season, Kingston Flemings has pushed his way into the Hawks' point guard picture and made it hard for the staff to ignore what he brings. After earning the starting role, he has appeared in 11 games and has flashed the kind of passing, shooting efficiency and defensive upside that can change how a backcourt is built around him.
The debate now is less about whether Flemings belongs in the rotation and more about how much runway he should get as the season settles in. His best stretch has already included a strong showing against the Miami Heat, and with each game he keeps adding weight to the idea that Atlanta may have found a different kind of lead guard than the one it expected. [Read more 🡒]