3 Ways Henri Veesaar's ACL Injury Impacts the Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks big man Henri Veesaar wasn't expected to play a major role in 2026-27, but after his devastating ACL injury, the team may feel his absence more than they thought.

More than anything, this is unfortunate for Veesaar. He'll be a redshirt rookie in 2027-28 now. Veesaar has plenty of potential, but everybody wants to get their career off on the right foot.

That said, it will also impact the team. The Hawks may not have put Veesaar on the floor very often, but he did serve some valuable purposes.

Here are three ways the team will notice his absence.

The Hawks are a team that particularly benefits from having a floor-spacing big man on the court. That's part of why they start Onyeka Okongwu, and it's made Jock Landale a valuable backup. Veesaar was supposed to provide the same skill set as a third-string big.

That's another way of calling him "injury insurance." Now, the Hawks won't have that policy. If Landale gets hurt again, they won't have a stretch big on the bench.

Unless...

As a prospect, Ejiofor wasn't much of a shooter, but he hit threes for the Hawks during Summer League. Between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, he connected on 35.3% of his triples.

If he can space the floor, it's a game-changer. Ejiofor has a much higher motor than Veesaar. He should be a significantly better defender as well. There are plenty of reasons to prefer Ejiofor to Veesaar, but if the latter is a vastly better shooter, that arguably outweighs most of them.

Before, Veesaar and Ejiofor were competing for a spot. Now, that spot is all Ejiofor's. He's unambiguously the Hawks' third big man, and if he plays well enough, he could earn primary backup responsibilities by the season's end.

Veesaar's absence could also lead to some small-ball opportunities for a pair of Hawks.

Mouhamed Gueye can man the 5 for short spells. Once he returns from his own injury, we could see that formation more often. This could also open up chances for Asa Newell to try his hand at playing more center.

It's not a necessity. Between Okongwu and Landale, the Hawks will have viable options at the 5 for most of every game. Still, Landale will likely need to rest at times. Okongwu is a smaller 5 in his own right. Following Veesaar's absence, we may see a faster-paced small-ball philosophy from the Hawks more often.

No matter how it looks, here's hoping he can bounce back for 2027-28.