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The Atlanta Hawks are set to host the Indiana Pacers in an Eastern Conference matchup tonight, but both teams are dealing with injury concerns—though Indiana's issues are far more severe than Atlanta's.
Indiana entered the season with one of the NBA's most talented starting units, but none of those players will be available tonight. The Pacers will be without their entire starting five, as Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Ivica Zubac, T.J. McConnell, and Ben Sheppard are all sidelined.
Atlanta has its own availability problems, most notably the status of forward Jalen Johnson, who was listed as questionable for the first time this season. Shortly before tipoff, the Hawks announced that Johnson will miss tonight's game, joining Jock Landale, Mouhamed Gueye, and Henri Veesaar on the inactive list.
This leaves the Hawks' frontcourt depth very thin, but against a depleted Pacers roster, Atlanta should be able to find a way to overcome the shortage.
Key Analysis
With Johnson out, the Hawks will likely turn to either Lu Dort or Asa Newell in the starting lineup. For size purposes, starting Newell appears to be the more prudent move. While Dort has served as the backup power forward this season, Newell could provide help on the glass.
The absence of both Johnson and Landale increases the likelihood that rookie Zuby Ejiofor will see playing time. When Landale went down in Saturday's game against the Pelicans, Newell was the only other big man who entered the game, but he is not going to play both backup forward and center. Ejiofor was the team's third center during the preseason, but the rookie has not seen substantial minutes in the first seven games.
Another player to watch is Dorian Finney-Smith. Finney-Smith has also not played meaningful minutes this season, but he can function as either the backup power forward or the backup center if the Hawks choose to play small. It will be interesting to see what Quin Snyder decides to do with the rotation tonight.