Hawks consider import options as Robinson faces extended stint out

The former NBA floor-general picked up the injury in his team's first-up defeat against Sydney in Wollongong last weekend, bravely playing through the pain before pulling up sore on Monday.

He was subsequently sent for scans revealing an injury more serious than initially thought, with the 24-year-old consulting specialists over the weekend to ascertain how long he'll be out of action.

While the full extent of the injury is yet to be confirmed, Robinson took to social media on Friday to suggest a return this season will be an uphill climb, tweeting: "adversity is the greatest; shows what you're made of.NEVER run away from it, EVERYTHING happens for a reason."

It leaves a gaping hole in the back court, with the 43-game NBA guard brought to the club to take primary ball-handling responsibilities away from skipper Tyler Harvey, for whom the club has struggled to find a consistent foil.

The Hawks front office is doing its due diligence on replacement options - be they short or long term - with a host of fringe NBA talent currently being waived as the new season looms in the US.

The Hawks managed a win without their star import against a similarly undermanned Phoenix in Wollongong on Thursday night, but face a far stiffer test on the road against the Wildcats in Perth on Saturday.

Read more: Hawks see off game Phoenix in absence of star import

The Jungle has been a graveyard for visiting Hawks teams, though they famously buried the hoodoo with a finals win in the west two seasons ago. He's not pretending it's an easy place to play, but coach Jacob Jackomas is welcoming the early character test for a new-look group an import down.

"We've won there. We won a semi-final there in my first year here and it's the kind of place you want to play," Jackomas said.

"You know the guy behind the bench is going to have something to say, the guy next to the bench is going to have something to say and we're going to see where we're at.

"It's early on in the year and we're going to see how we handle it. I think it's a really good thing that we're going there first up. They're nasty right now because of [the end of the finals] streak or whatever else.

"Whatever comes off it comes off it and we'e going to see what we're about."

While Robinson's absence is a major blow, fellow import George King's start to the season has been encouraging, the 28-year-old swing forward shrugging off a limited preseason to post 14 and 16 points in his first two outings as a Hawk.

"George is that versatile piece that we've been looking for and I just think he's going to get better and better," Jackomas said.

"That preseason stint where he couldn't train and couldn't play sort of stopped our progression within the group, but having him with that second group, there's less pressure.

"Sometimes starting you're under pressure to run this, do this, get that kind of stop. [From the bench] he goes out there pretty free-spirited.

"Obviously having that piece that can match up with the [Mitch] Creeks' and Xavier Cooks' in this league is really important because there are a lot of versatile pieces like that in the league."

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