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The Atlanta Hawks will be without their best sharp-shooter for the remainder of the season, as Kyle Korver has been diagnosed with a severe ankle sprain, per a team release. While an ankle sprain may not seem like a debilitating diagnosis, Korver's ailment is a "high" ankle sprain on his right leg, and that is important for placing this injury in context.
Here is the full release from the team:
Hawks guard/forward Kyle Korver suffered a right ankle injury with 1:01 remaining in the third quarter of last night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. X-rays performed at Philips Arena last night were negative. A follow-up MRI and examination this morning at the Peachtree Orthopaedic Clinic confirmed a severe high right ankle sprain. Korver will see a foot and ankle specialist to determine the best course of treatment. He is out for the remainder of the postseason.
Korver produced the best season of his 12-year NBA career in 2014-2015, shooting 49.2% from three-point range to lead the NBA. As a result, he was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star team, and while he struggled to just a 39.1% clip from the field in the postseason, Korver's impact on floor spacing and balance is immeasurable.
The Hawks currently trail the Cleveland Cavaliers by a 2-0 margin in the Eastern Conference Finals, and even with Korver in the lineup, Mike Budenholzer's team would have faced an uphill battle. Without him, the struggling offense will be without arguably the sharp gravitational pull of its best shooter, and that isn't the best recipe for fixing what ails the Hawks in the short term. It will be interesting to see what Budenholzer and company elect to do from an adjustment perspective, including the now gaping hole in the starting lineup.
Kyle Korver had a tremendous season, but his 2014-2015 campaign has come to a close.