The Atlanta Hawks announced Monday that rookie center Henri Veesaar is expected to miss the entirety of the 2026-27 season after suffering a right knee injury in a private workout on September 15th. 

Veesaar underwent an MRI and other examinations at the Emory Medicine Sports Complex and was diagnosed with a torn ACL in his right knee. Veesaar is expected to undergo surgery in October. The surgery will be completed by Dr. Kyle Hammond at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex. 

Veesaar was drafted 52nd overall by the Los Angeles Clippers and was acquired by Atlanta via trade on draft night. 

The rookie center debuted in Summer League for Atlanta and shined when he stepped on the floor. He flashed his ability to clean the glass and stretch the floor on offense with his sharpshooting abilities from beyond the 3PT line. Veesaar averaged 10.2 PTS, 3.6 REB, and 1.8 AST over 5 games. 

It was unsure whether the rookie would get meaningful minutes in Atlanta this year, but nonethless an important developmental year down in College Park is sadly taken away by another gruesome injury for the Hawks. Forward Mo Gueye suffered a fractured foot back in July and underwent surgery. He is expected to miss the start of the 2026-27 season.

The Hawks will look to rookie Zuby Ejiofor and Asa Newell to fill in the front court depth for the meantime.

Watch the latest podcast episode here:

https://youtube.com/@hkhpod?si=4QF1pC7mEipqBcVw  

Follow Us!

Make sure to follow all of us over here at the Hard Knock Hawks Podcast and make sure to check out our latest episode where we dive deeper into some of the things mentioned above. As always, GO HAWKS! CAW CAW!

Ant- @InsaneKaine

Chris- @Chri21opher

Leon- @justinvisible6

Marco- @Hawksfan200

Blake- @Blake_Rodgers4