Atlanta Hawks Provide New Injury Updates For Kristaps Porzingis and Zaccharie Risacher

Risacher and Porzingis have missed the last five games and received new injury updates today regarding their status

Jan 2, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) looks to drive past New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks are on a three game losing streak coming into Monday's contest with the Milwaukee Bucks and some of that is due to the fact that second year forward Zaccharie Risacher and prized offseason acquisition Kristaps Porzingis have missed the last five games.

Both Risacher and Porzingis bring a skillset that the Hawks need to win and today, they both received an official injury update from the team:

"Center Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed the last five games due to left Achilles tendinitis, is progressing in his recovery and will be re-evaluated in approximately one week.

Forward Zaccharie Risacher, who has missed the last five games due to a left knee bone contusion, is progressing in his recovery and will be re-evaluated in approximately one week.

Without Porzingis, the Hawks have a massive hole at center behind Onyeka Okongwu and have had to play Mouhamed Gueye and rookie Asa Newell in the backup spot, which has had mostly poor results as those two are playing out of position. Without Risacher, the Hawks are missing one of their better defenders and have had to start Vit Krejci in his place. While Krejci is a very good shooter, he struggles on the defensive end of the court.

The Hawks have three games this week, starting with the MLK Day matchup against the Bucks this afternoon. They travel to Memphis on Wednesday and host the Suns on Friday night.

Bounce back game?

Jan 17, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) shoots against the Boston Celtics in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Jalen Johnson has had a rough three games and it is not surprising that that has coincided with the Hawks losing three straight games. Last night, Johnson finished 4-14 (2-6 from three) and had 12 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. He could not get to his spots in the paint and had little to no effect on the game.

The Hawks lost the rebounding battle again and that is becoming a theme for this team. The Hawks are still missing Kristaps Porzingis and don't have a viable backup option at center, making it tough for them to win any battles on the glass. The Celtics are not known to have a strong duo at center, but they had no problem against the Hawks.

Atlanta finished with a 97.7 offensive rating, a 48.4 true shooting percentage, and a 44.6 effective field goal percentage.

Vit Krejci had 3 points in 18 minutes

The defense was a disaster all game long. The Celtics shot 51% from the field and 42% from three. They also had a 65.6 effective true shooting percentage and a 62.6 effective field goal percentage. Giving up 52 points in a quarter is unacceptable and this is the second time in the last three games that the Hawks have give up over 80 points in the first half (Lakers scored 81 on Tuesday).

Jaylen Brown had one of the most effortless 40 point efforts that you will see. The Hawks also allowed Sam Hauser to make 10 three pointers, including seven of his first eight. There were too many defensive issues to name, but the Hawks really need Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, and Kristaps Porzingis to get healthy if this team hopes to make anything of their season.

The defense was bad, but the offense did the Hawks no favors. They shot less than 40% from the field and just 33% from three.

The Hawks are now 20-24 and now back in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. This team is by no means guaranteed to even make the play-in tournament at the rate they are playing, but the good news for them is that they have the easiest schedule remaining in the NBA and have plenty of homes games (though they have not been very good at home).