Hawks second-round pick Nikola Djurisic underwent foot surgery on Monday in Charlotte to repair a fracture in his left fifth metatarsal bone, the team announced (via Twitter). Djurisic sustained the injury on July 14 in a Summer League game vs. San Antonio.
When agent Misko Raznatovic tweeted about the injury last Tuesday, he expressed optimism that his client would be back on the court in late September. However, the Hawks appear to be projecting a more conservative recovery timeline, indicating in today’s announcement that an update on the 6’7″ guard’s status will be provided in November.
The No. 43 overall pick in last month’s draft, Djurisic played in Serbia from 2020-24, primarily for Mega Basket. He appeared in 26 games (30.7 MPG) for the club in 2023/24, averaging 14.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 steal per contest on .454/.330/.739 shooting.
The Hawks’ plans for Djurisic remain unclear. As we detailed earlier today, he has yet to sign an NBA contract and there doesn’t seem to be room for him on Atlanta’s standard 15-man roster, which currently features 15 players on guaranteed salaries and Bruno Fernando on a non-guaranteed deal.
Djurisic appears likely to either sign a two-way contract with the Hawks or spend the 2024/25 season as a draft-and-stash prospect. In the latter scenario, he could either continue his career overseas or play in the G League with the College Park Skyhawks.