Once again, it appears the Indiana Pacers will rely on heavy doses of reserves to play in their preseason matchup with the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.

According to Mark Montieth, forward Danny Granger is doing more in practice with his knee improving, but he doesn't expect to play in the preseason until the final two games.

Power forward David West sat out Monday's practice after he rolled his ankle in practice on Monday. Seems practical to expect West to watch the game against Atlanta. George Hill continues to work through a thumb injury and may not play on Tuesday, as well.

The good news, though is that Granger is putting his knee to the test and looking pretty good in practice now that he's taking part in 5-on-5 work.

"He looked sharp," Vogel said. "I was telling (team president) Donnie Walsh, I thought he looked sharper in today's practice than he did all of last year."

Granger's absence from preseason games could hamper the starting unit's early chemistry. That group returns intact from the end of last season, however, so the hope is that the adjustment period will be minimal.

"It's a factor, but ... the guys who were here last year pick right up where they left off last year," Vogel said. "I don't think there's going to be any issues there. There will be a little bit of a learning curve there, but not much."