Last season, when Trae Young went to the bench the Atlanta Hawks fell apart — they were 8.4 points per 100 possessions worse without him (stats via Cleaning the Glass). That’s why Atlanta went out and got Rajon Rondo and Kris Dunn, to provide some guard depth when Young heads to the bench.
Now Atlanta is going to start the season without Dunn, the team announced Saturday.
An @emoryhealthcare injury report (1/3):
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 12, 2020
K. Dunn (cartilage disruption, right knee) has begun participating in individual workouts with contact, progressing towards live team practice. He will be reviewed on Dec. 28 and an update will be provided as appropriate. pic.twitter.com/TqaBSlScvE
This means at a minimum, Dunn misses the first three games of the season, but it’s probably a few more.
Dunn signed a two-year, $9.8 million contract to come to Atlanta (the second year is a player option). He’s there to provide defense off the bench, both backing up the point and playing the two (he can guard multiple positions). Atlanta is going to have to get by without that defense the first handful of games this season.