Atlanta Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis and forward Zaccharie Risacher will both miss another week on the court while recovering from injuries.
Porzingis missed his sixth consecutive game on Monday when the Hawks faced the Milwaukee Bucks in Atlanta. The Bucks held on for the win down the stretch, 112-110. This was Atlanta’s fourth loss in a row. Porzingis has been sidelined with tendinitis in his left Achilles in yet another injury-riddled season.
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Once referred to affectionately as “The Unicorn,” Porzingis has been plagued by injuries throughout most of his NBA career. He played in 72 games during his rookie campaign of 2015-16 with the New York Knicks and was named to the NBA All-Rookie team. Since that first year, Porzingis hasn’t played in more than 66 games in a season. Porzingis did that in his second season and wouldn’t come close again until the 2022-23 season in Washington.
Second-year player Risacher missed his sixth straight game on Monday because of a bone contusion in his left knee. Risacher was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting last year. This season, he’s appeared in 36 games, averaging 11.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
Both players will be re-evaluated sometime next week. Porzingis has suited up for just 17 games for Atlanta this season after being acquired from the Boston Celtics during the offseason. When Porzingis has been on the court this season, he’s been productive, averaging 17.1 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 36% from 3-point range.
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The Hawks are in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with a 20-25 record, clinging to the final play-in tournament slot.