3 days Ago
Atlanta Hawks backup center Onyeka Okongwu will be out at least four games due to left knee inflammation, the team announced Wednesday. Okongwu will be re-evaluated in approximately one week. The Hawks also said that guard Kobe Bufkin will undergo season-ending surgery to address "instability" in his right shoulder.
The procedure is scheduled for Jan. 7. Editor's Picks NBA trade outlooks for all 30 teams: Big questions, tradable picks and apron updates 3h Bobby Marks NBA Power Rankings: Grizzlies grind in the West, Cavs continue to climb 11h NBA Insiders Okongwu has averaged a career-best 11.
3 points and 6.6 rebounds while coming off the bench behind starter Clint Capela this season. A five-year veteran, Okongwu was the No.
6 overall pick for the Hawks in the 2020 draft. Bufkin, 21, partially dislocated his right shoulder for the second time in October. He had missed summer league due to a similar injury.
His first professional season after a promising Michigan career was also interrupted by injuries including a thumb fracture and a big toe sprain that kept him out of all but 17 games. Bufkin, 20, was the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. He averaged 5.
3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 10 games (zero starts) this season.
Information from Field Level Media was used in this report..
