As the offseason now officially sits just days away for 14 of the NBA’s 30 teams, some have even begun to wrap up their seasons early. With nothing to play for, we’ve seen some teams take the precautionary route regarding their banged up players and the Atlanta Hawks are only the latest to join that group.
The team announced that backup point guard Malcolm Delaney underwent successful arthroscopic knee surgery and is expected to resume basketball activities within 6-8 weeks.
An @emoryhealthcare injury update:
Earlier today, Malcolm Delaney underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle. His expected recovery time is six-to-eight weeks. pic.twitter.com/u3BJmAmJ6j
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 9, 2018
There wasn’t much promise coming into this season for the Atlanta Hawks who have seen their roster decimated the past few offseasons. These low expectations came to fruition this year as the Hawks are tied with the Orlando Magic for the worst record in the East at 24-57.
There have been a few bright spots for Atlanta though. The improved play of Malcolm Delaney this year certainly qualifies though he remains somewhat of an afterthought in their rotation.
Point guard Dennis Schroder performed well himself this season leaving Delany fighting for minutes with fellow reserve guard Tyler Dorsey. In 54 appearances this season, Delaney averaged 6.3 points and 3 assists per game in less than 19 minutes of playing time per night.