Kevin Huerter questionable for Saturday’s game against Heat

Thursday evening wasn’t kind to the Atlanta Hawks, as the home team fell to the Sacramento Kings by a 31-point margin. While that kind of blowout isn’t fun for anyone, things were made worse for the Hawks by the early exit of first round pick Kevin Huerter, who was forced to the sideline after suffering an ankle injury in the first quarter.

In the moment, the Hawks announced that Huerter suffered a right lateral ankle sprain and he did not return to the action. However, a breath of fresh air came to light on Friday afternoon, as the team officially listed Huerter as questionable for Saturday’s contest against the Miami Heat.

It should be noted that, of course, this does necessarily mean that Huerter will be available on Saturday but, in the big picture, the mere potential that the former Maryland star could play is encouraging. If Huerter does not appear, the Hawks will likely replace him in the rotation with Tyler Dorsey, who provided solid reserve minutes on Thursday.

Huerter’s injury was enough to put a scare into Hawks fans (who did not take kindly to the actions of Sacramento guard Buddy Hield) but the ailment does not appear to be serious and that is an unequivocal positive.

Stay tuned.