Skip to content

Hawks' Shelvin Mack to undergo surgery on separated shoulder

Craig Mitchelldyer / Reuters

The Atlanta Hawks are wearing the battle scars of a deep playoff run.

Point guard Shelvin Mack came out of the team's series-clinching Game 4 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday with what was believed to be a separated right shoulder. Those fears were confirmed Wednesday, with the Hawks revealing that Mack will undergo surgery to repair a separated shoulder sometime next week.

There's no timetable for Mack's return to action, though he may have a recovery partner in Paul Millsap. It's believed Millsap may require offseason shoulder surgery, too, joining Mack, Thabo Sefolosha (leg), and Kyle Korver (ankle) as Hawks likely spending the start of their offseason with rehabilitation instead of relaxation.

Mack took a hit with a little more than two minutes left in the game and laid on the court for several minutes, in visible pain. There was no sense in him gutting it out from there with the team down big, and he finished the game with 10 points, two rebounds, and one assist in 24 minutes.

The 25-year-old Mack averaged 5.4 points and 2.8 assists in 15.1 minutes off the bench for the Hawks this season, his third with the club. He's under contract for next season at a reasonable $2.4-million and has a nonguaranteed $2.4-million salary the following year. He could lose some time in 2015-16 as the primary backup point guard if Dennis Schroder continues to develop, but Mack's ability to slide over to the two should keep him near the regular rotation.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox