Skal Labissiere interested in Hawks reunion

Skal Labissiere has yet to suit up for the Hawks due to a knee injury since being acquired in early February and has not seen any NBA action since December. Now a participant at Atlanta’s minicamp, Labissiere has made it clear he wants to return to the Hawks next season, Sarak K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes.

The Hawks were not invited to the Orlando campus once the 2019-20 season resumed given their poor record. However, Labissiere has been a frequent presence around the team, demonstrating his progress in recovering from his injury. Labissiere said:

“Just to show that I’m ready to go, I can play. I’m ready to play. I’ve been out since December, and I’ve been doing rehab with the team that whole time, so for me I just wanted to show that ‘Hey, I’m ready to go,’ I’m ready to play, and I feel good. I just want to play basketball. It’s been a long time since I’ve played.”

Labissiere, 24, played in just 33 games this past season, averaging 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for the Trail Blazers before he was traded. The 28th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft is not just the Hawks’ only pending free agent to participate in minicamp, he hopes the work he has put in with the team’s staff has earned him an opportunity to return for the 2020-21 campaign. Labissiere said:

“I would love to be here. Obviously, if I was not interested in being here I would not be here doing training camp, I could have been just working out somewhere else and not in the bubble setting. I’m very interested in being here, and we’ll see.”