Atlanta Hawks

One year after finishing with the third fewest games lost to injury or illness, the Hawks’ health cratered. The team’s games lost swelled by nearly 200 games and only trailed the injury-plagued Memphis Grizzlies for largest increase in the league. The problem wasn’t isolated to a few players either as seven Hawks players missed over 20 games with health-related issues, including Trae Young and Jalen Johnson. 

Following the season Director of Athletic Training Scottie Parker moved on and Assistant Athletic Trainer John Dusel took over as Head AT. Other additions were made to the staff including Ben Peterson being named VP of Player Health & Performance and Ryan Donahue acting as Head of Medical. This trio, along with Head of Performance Paddy Hogben and Director of Integrative Health Ray Chow, create a diverse medical team with a unique blend of experiences spanning professional sports.

The medical staff will be tasked with improving the health of an overhauled roster that includes top overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and veterans like Larry Nance Jr. and Cody Zeller. Dyson Daniels and Nance bring versatility to the Atlanta roster but have shown a propensity for injury throughout their professional careers. Keeping them on the court along with Young and the rest of the emerging talent should help the Hawks remain in the playoff picture.