Team context: Atlanta Hawks · Research cutoff: July 18, 2026.
Role and 2025-26 baseline
Gueye averaged 4.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 0.5 threes in 15.3 minutes across 77 games, including eight starts. He shot 45.2% FG and 64.5% FT. The per-minute defensive stats remain the fantasy hook. ESPN game log/stats · Basketball-Reference
He fractured his left foot during a July 8 workout, underwent surgery July 14, and is due for reevaluation in three to four months. Camp/preseason absence is certain; opening-season absence is plausible. NBA injury report · Reuters
2026-27 projection
| GP | Min | FG% | FT% | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 10 | .455 | .650 | 0.3 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
Base rotation allocation: zero because of the recovery timeline.
Fantasy fit and range
- Redraft: do not draft in ordinary leagues; injured-list stash only in very deep formats.
- Dynasty: hold in 18-team leagues if injured-list space is available; 1.3 combined stocks in 15 minutes is the reason.
- Floor: delayed return, lost conditioning, and no stable rotation place after the rookies establish themselves.
- Ceiling: returns around midseason and wins 16 minutes as a switchable 4/5, approaching one steal and 0.7 blocks.
- Watch: the October/November reevaluation, weight-bearing progression, and G League rehab assignment.
Career record
Pre-NBA: Born in Dakar, Senegal; moved to the United States at 16 for Prolific Prep (California) and arrived as a top-50 recruit. Two seasons at Washington State (Pac-12): 7.4 points and 5.2 rebounds as a freshman in 2021-22, good for Pac-12 All-Freshman; 14.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 32.1 minutes as a sophomore in 2022-23, earning All-Pac-12 first team. Career college line across 68 games was 10.7 points and 6.7 rebounds on 48.9% FG and 27.7% from three — the three-point stroke was never a college asset. Draft: 2023, second round, 39th pick, Charlotte Hornets; traded to Atlanta on draft night.
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 21 | ATL | 6 | 12.2 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.5 | .348 | .833 | 0.2 |
| 2024-25 | 22 | ATL | 33 | 16.2 | 6.0 | 4.2 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.6 | .421 | .762 | 0.5 |
| 2025-26 | 23 | ATL | 77 | 15.3 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | .452 | .645 | 0.4 |
| Career | ATL | 116 | 15.4 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.6 | .436 | .700 | 0.4 |
Durability: 6 games as a rookie, when a back injury wiped out most of the year; 33 games in 2024-25, 28 of them starts, so the games total reflects a rotation spot that opened late rather than a documented absence; a full 77 games in 2025-26. The fractured left foot suffered in a July 8, 2026 workout and repaired surgically on July 14 is the first major structural injury of his career.
Trajectory: Three seasons produce a consistent picture: a 6-11 big who rebounds at a modest rate for his size, cannot shoot, and holds his fantasy value entirely through stocks — 0.8 steals and 0.7 blocks per game in roughly 15 minutes is genuinely strong per-minute defensive production. The FG% climb from .348 to .421 to .452 is real progress on shot selection; the FT% collapse to .645 is not. He is competing for the same backup-four minutes he already had, now from behind a three-to-four-month recovery clock and a rookie class that will get first look at the empty minutes. He becomes fantasy-relevant only if he is cleared near midseason and an injury to Jalen Johnson or Onyeka Okongwu forces 20-plus minutes on him; absent that, the recovery timeline alone keeps him off standard-league rosters.
Career sources: ESPN career stats · Wikipedia · NBA.com injury report · ESPN surgery report
Open questions
- What does the first postoperative imaging update show?
- Will Atlanta preserve a rotation path while he recovers?
- Can the three-point shot become efficient enough to offset poor FT%?