The Atlanta Hawks were dealt an unwelcome blow before the season even gets rolling: rookie center Henri Veesaar has a torn ACL in his right knee and will miss the entire 2026-27 campaign.
That kind of injury always stings, but this one hits a little differently because Veesaar wasn’t just another body on the depth chart. At seven feet, he brought a size-and-shooting blend that could have given Quin Snyder a different look in the frontcourt, even if he wasn’t expected to crack a major role right away.
Atlanta still has Onyeka Okongwu as its starting center, and the Hawks brought Jock Landale back to handle backup duties with veteran steadiness and physicality. So this isn’t a case where the team suddenly has to scramble to fill a hole at the five.
What Veesaar did offer was flexibility. He came into the league as something of an intriguing value pick, with some seeing him as a player who might have gone late in the first round. His perimeter touch made him a potential fit in lineups that could use a floor-spacing big, and that kind of option can matter over the course of an 82-game season.
The Hawks could have eased him in gradually, especially in matchups where pulling a rim protector away from the basket might have opened things up elsewhere. Instead, that developmental track is on hold. Atlanta now has to focus on his recovery first and figure out later where he fits long term.
There’s also a ripple effect here for the rest of the young frontcourt group. Asa Newell and rookie Zuby Ejiofor could see more chances at center when Snyder wants to look beyond the Okongwu-Landale pairing. Ejiofor’s physical style gives Atlanta another inside presence, while Newell’s versatility adds another layer of lineup options.
That may be the most notable fallout from Veesaar’s injury: the minutes that might have gone to him can now be spread around to other young bigs instead. Atlanta doesn’t need to force one player into Veesaar’s role, either. It can mix and match based on matchup and development goals.
The Hawks also shouldn’t rush into a bigger roster move just because Veesaar is out. Okongwu and Landale still give them a workable center rotation, and the team has enough frontcourt pieces to evaluate before looking outside the organization.
Still, losing Veesaar is a disappointment. Atlanta was about to get a closer look at a promising developmental piece, and now that evaluation is gone for the season. The Hawks can survive it, but their room to maneuver at center just got a lot tighter.
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Atlantas frontcourt depth took an immediate hit before the new rookie could even get started. Henri Veesaar, the second-round center the Hawks drafted 52nd overall and signed to a four-year deal in July, had been part of the teams long-term plan as a young big man with time to develop.
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 Frontcourt Depth Just Took A Hit Atlanta Could Feel All Year
The Hawks frontcourt plans took a jolt in mid-September when rookie center Henri Veesaar went down with a torn right ACL during a workout, a setback that will keep him out for the entire 2026-2027 season. The injury is expected to send him into surgery and a long rehabilitation process, interrupting what had been a promising early path with Atlanta as he looked to get his footing at the NBA level.
Veesaar was one of the names set to help stabilize the back end of the rotation, and his absence leaves the Hawks thinner in a part of the roster already dealing with issues. Forward Mouhamed Gueye is still recovering from a foot injury, adding another layer of uncertainty as Atlanta tries to sort out its depth and keep enough reliable size available for the long haul. [Read more 🡒]