Hawks vs. Wizards: Gustavo Ayon to miss Wednesday's game due to shoulder injury

Heading into Wednesday night's game against the Washington Wizards, it was considered likely that the Hawks would be without DeMarre Carroll, but in the case of Gustavo Ayon, there was a bit more intrigue. However, we now have some apparent clarity on the situation.

Gustavo Ayon is OUT tonight vs. Wizards. DeMarre Carroll is game-time decision. #ATLHawks

— Chris Vivlamore (@ajchawks) February 19, 2014

Ayon exited after just 7 minutes of action on Tuesday night when he suffered an apparent shoulder injury, and without him, the cupboard is exceedingly bare up front. Even if Carroll can't go (and that's up in the air per the Tweet above), the Hawks may miss Ayon even more, simply because of the complete and utter lack of depth on the interior without the availability of Al Horford and Pero Antic.

It will be incredibly interesting to see how Mike Budenholzer elects to utilize his few remaining assets (Elton Brand, Mike Scott, and Paul Millsap) against an upsized Washington front line without Ayon, but whatever combination he elects to go with will certainly include a great deal of "small ball".