WASHINGTON — Injuries will sideline Atlanta Hawks guard Kobe Bufkin for the remainder of the NBA season and center Onyeka Okongwu for at least a week, the team announced on Wednesday (Thursday Manila time).
Bufkin will undergo right shoulder surgery on January 7, while Okongwu will sit out with an inflamed left knee for a week before being reevaluated, missing four games.
Both play key reserve roles for the Hawks, who stand seventh in the Eastern Conference at 14-13.
Bufkin has averaged 5.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists a game for the Hawks despite shoulder instability that had additional doctors evaluating him before the decision was made to have surgery.
Bufkin, the 15th overall pick in last year's NBA Draft, is expected to make a full recovery for the 2025-26 campaign.
Okongwu, the US-born son of Nigerian immigrants, has averaged 11.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists for Atlanta in 25 appearances.
Okongwu is in his fifth NBA season after being selected sixth overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. He averaged career-highs of 10.2 points and 1.3 assists a game last season.
He will miss games on Thursday at San Antonio and home games on Saturday against Memphis, Monday against Minnesota and December 26 against Chicago.