Hawks F/C Gustavo Ayon To Miss 4-8 Weeks

“Of course he did.”

To be honest, that was my quote after hearing the news that Gustavo Ayon would be sidelined 4-to-8 weeks with a rotator cuff issue.

The official Atlanta Hawks Twitter account broke the news on Tuesday afternoon that Ayon had inflammation and a rotator cuff strain, and his absence will bleed significantly into the regular season.

This loss isn’t enormous on paper for the Hawks, as Pero Antic and Elton Brand remain healthy and ready to go, but it’s a significant absence. Ayon is presumably the best defensive option off the bench for the Hawks behind Al Horford, and his “energy guy” status is well-known.

We will perhaps glean some view of the rotation when Brand hits the court on Tuesday night in Asheville, but for now, the Hawks are left with the promise of a prolonged absence of a projected rotation player.