Evaluating What The Saddiq Bey Injury Means For The Hawks
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The Hawks are one of the most injured teams in the NBA right now and that was before the news that forward Saddiq Bey had torn his ACL and will be out for the season. Bey had some inconsistencies when it came to defense and three-point shooting, but he was key player when it came to rebounding and he has been really durable during his time in the NBA. With the Hawks having injuries to Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu, as well as De'Andre Hunter still being on a minutes restriction, losing Bey is a tough blow.
Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are a better offensive-rebounding team by 7.4% when Bey is on the floor, which ranks in the 98th percentile in the NBA. His rebounding has been the most valuable part of his game for the Hawks and the one that will be the hardest to replace, even when the Hawks get healthy.
So what will Atlanta do?
Jalen Johnson was injured last week in a win over Cleveland, but it was announced that he would be day-to-day. He missed the last two games vs Memphis and New Orleans, but it is not known whether he will play against Portland tomorrow. Onyeka Okongwu is going to be reevaluated soon and if he and Johnson can be healthy the rest of the season, that will ease the loss of Bey.
But if they are not, that is where the Hawks are going to run into trouble. The Hawks are not a team that has a lot of size and that is true when they are fully healthy. Vit Krejci has stepped into the starting lineup with Johnson out, but he has not contributed much on offense in terms of scoring and rebounding. De'Andre Hunter has been coming off the bench and playing really well, but he is still on a minutes restriction.
Mar 10, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) dribbles guarded by Atlanta Hawks forward Saddiq Bey (41) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Garrison Matthews and Wesley Matthews are two other forwards who have played for the Hawks this season, but both have big limitations. Garrison does shoot 42% from three but is a really poor defender. Wesley is a better defender but is shooting just 26% from three. If Johnson is out tomorrow vs the Blazers, I would not be surprised to see Garrison Matthews get the start. He has started multiple games for the Hawks this season.
It is a tough injury for Bey and the Hawks. Bey has worked really hard this year and gives maximum effort every time he is on the floor. He is going to be a restricted-free agent at the end of the year. The Hawks still hold on to the No. 10 spot in the East (the last play-in spot), but you have to wonder if this injury makes it more likely for the Hawks to fall out of the play-in race.
