Hawks vs Spurs: Injury Report For Tomorrow's Game

The Hawks resume their schedule tomorrow when they face San Antonio on the road

Nov 4, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder calls a play against the Boston Celtics in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks have not played since last Saturday's NBA Cup Semifinal Game against Milwaukee and are heading out on the road tomorrow night for their first matchup of the year vs the San Antonio Spurs. Atlanta has just released its injury report for tomorrow's game and there is one notable addition to it.

Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder injury management), Onyeka Okongwu (left knee inflammation), and Cody Zeller (not with team) are all out tomorrow while Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis) is probable. The Okongwu additon is notable and now Larry Nance is likely to fill in for him tomorrow vs the Spurs, which is a nice thing to have if you are Atlanta.

An @emoryhealthcare injury report for tomorrow’s game at San Antonio:

Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis): Probable

Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder injury management): Out
Onyeka Okongwu (left knee inflammation): Out
Cody Zeller (not with team): Out pic.twitter.com/IE6dGZ5QsL

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 18, 2024

An update from the Hawks says that Okongwu will be out for at least the next four games and will be re-evaluated in a week. This will be something to keep an eye on going forward and it is good that the Hawks have Larry Nance for situations like these.

The Atlanta Hawks announced some bad news today for former first round pick Kobe Bufkin. Per the Hawks "After continued evaluation and additional medical opinions, guard Kobe Bufkin and the Hawks have determined that Bufkin will undergo surgery to address right shoulder instability on January 7, 2025. He will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season and is expected to make a full recovery for the 2025-26 season."

This is tough news for Bufkin. He has battled injuries during his first two seasons in the NBA and had only played in 10 games this season. He averaged 5.3 PPG and shooting 38% from the field and 22% from three. He was limited to 17 games last season and injuries prevented him from playing in Summer League this past summer. Bufkin has talent, but has only played in 27 games across his first two seasons in the NBA. Hopefully he can recover quickly and be ready to try and make an impact next season.

Selected by the Hawks with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Bufkin appeared in 17 games during his rookie season, notching 4.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 11.5 minutes. The Michigan product scored his first NBA point at Milwaukee on Oct. 29, knocking down a free throw.

He saw action in 14 games (all starts) with the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League in 2023-24, averaging 23.6 points, 5.9 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 32.0 minutes. He netted 34 points in his Skyhawks debut on Dec. 27 against Greensboro, marking the most points scored in a Skyhawks’ debut in club history. In a win over the Motor City Cruise on Jan. 15, Bufkin tallied 12 points, 12 assists, and five steals in 36 minutes, becoming the first Skyhawk in franchise history to contribute 10+ points, 10+ assists, and 5+ steals in a single outing.

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