Kent Bazemore to miss two games with knee issue

Update: The Hawks have announced that Bazemore will officially miss the next two games, though an MRI on his right knee showed no structural damage.

—

It has been a rough season for Atlanta Hawks swingman Kent Bazemore and the hits keep on coming. On Wednesday morning, Bazemore was unavailable to the media at the team’s shootaround and, moments later, word broke from Chris Vivlamore of the AJC that the struggling wing would miss the next two games as a result of knee soreness.

Bazemore, who inked a four-year, $70 million contract in the offseason, continues to scuffle to the tune of a 35.8 percent clip from the field and a ghastly 29.2 percent conversion rate from beyond the three-point arc. Moreover, it appears that the now 27-year-old has been pressing in light of his recent struggles, and the break could be a positive for a player that hasn’t been able to generate much in the way of positive momentum.

As noted by Vivlamore, Tim Hardaway Jr. will get the start in Bazemore’s place alongside Thabo Sefolosha (who was inserted into the lineup on Monday) and that will allow Kyle Korver to remain in his new bench role. With Bazemore on the shelf, increased playing time for Taurean Prince would be a logical conclusion, with the possibility of an uptick for other reserves including Kris Humphries in bigger lineups.

Stay tuned for updates as they become available, but it appears that Atlanta will be short-handed against both the Heat and Bucks this week.