Mike Scott remains out with knee injury

The Atlanta Hawks’ bench played well in last night’s victory against the Washington Wizards, but will be without forward Mike Scott again on Saturday according to a report by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Chris Vivlamore. Scott has struggled with a knee injury throughout training camp, and that setback continues to sideline him.

The team didn’t miss Scott last night, leaning on a strong bench performance from Tim Hardaway Jr. to defeat the Wizards. However, Scott plays a key role off the bench and any prolonged absence would be a concern for this team.

It seems most likely that Atlanta will use a backup-by-committee system when Paul Millsap is resting. This was on display last night, as Mike Muscala and Kris Humphries received most of the bench minutes. While Muscala could be in line for significant playing time this season, early indications are that Scott and Humphries will split time with each other based on the matchup.

Scott provides more offense and scoring, while Humphries is a better rebounder and defender. These two players provide valuable, complementary skill sets, and are important depth pieces behind Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard. Mike Budenholzer can certainly rely on Humphries for stretches, but Scott is still an important piece based on matchups.

Hopefully, Scott’s absence won’t last much longer than this weekend. For now, though, expect to see a lot more of Kris Humphries.