The Hawks will face Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs with one less center available. The team ruled out backup center Onyeka Okongwu on Wednesday evening ahead of Thursday’s matchup in San Antonio.
The team later provided an injury update one hour after releasing their injury report, which stated that Okongwu would miss the Hawks’ next four games. Okongwu will be reevaluated in approximately one week, the Hawks said.
The 24-year-old big man will not play in Thursday’s game in San Antonio because of left knee inflammation. This is the first time since Nov. 3 that Okongwu has missed a game after the Hawks held him out of back-to-games early in the season to manage his health.
Okongwu had surgery on his toe to address inflammation in his left big toe in April and spent much of the offseason recovering and rehabbing. The team then took a cautious approach, ramping him up to ensure he was ready for the season.
In 25 games, Okongwu has averaged a career-high 11.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
The next four games give Hawks center Larry Nance Jr. a stretch in the rotation for the first time since Dec. 8 against the Nuggets. The Hawks also recalled forward/center Dominick Barlow from the Skyhawks on Wednesday morning.
The Hawks already announced earlier Wednesday that guard Kobe Bufkin would miss the remainder of the season.
Despite the two recent blows to the rotation, the Hawks still remain relatively healthy after beginning the season without five key rotational players.
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