Hawks expect Sefolosha out 6-8 weeks, more optimistic about Carroll

The Atlanta Hawks better hope Al Horford's confidence in the team's depth is warranted.

The Hawks don't sound like they're expecting to be healthy at the small forward position any time soon, with head coach Mike Budenholzer speaking about injuries to DeMarre Carroll and Thabo Sefolosha ahead of Saturday's game.

Carroll is missing a second consecutive game due to an Achilles strain and general soreness, something the team's been vague about over the past two days. That lack of detail seems to point to a lack of major concern, with Budenholzer saying the hope is that Carroll is only out for a short amount of time.

How long short-term is remains unclear, and they'll miss their starter even more with Sefolosha on the shelf. Sefolosha's absence does have a firm timeline, but it's not a positive one. The team announced Saturday that Sefolosha will miss six-to-eight weeks with a strained right calf. He first suffered the injury on Friday.

That leaves the Hawks thin at the three, with Kent Bazemore and John Jenkins tasked with stepping up in the coming days and weeks. Carroll and Sefolosha are two of the team's best defenders, and Carroll was averaging 11.8 points and 5.3 rebounds while hitting 39.7 percent of his threes. Sefolosha was averaging a modest 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds.