The Atlanta Hawks held their breath earlier this week when Trae Young left the game early against the Boston Celtics with a right rib sprain, but the latest update should be encouraging.
In the injury report ahead of their matchup against the New York Knicks, Young is listed as probable to play. That's big news as the Hawks have looked upon Young to carry the load while they deal with injuries, and it's big that he won't miss any time.
After their game against the Celtics, head coach Quin Snyder offered an update on Young's injury.
“What you’ve heard is what I’ve heard. He’s been playing great. He’s worn down right now,” Snyder said. “We got a lot of guys that are competing and that’s all that you can ask.”
Worn down is the exact word to describe Young, as he's currently No. 2 in the NBA in minutes, while Jalen Johnson is No. 1. Young wasn't his regular self against the Celtics, as he finished the night with only two points and six assists, shooting 1-of-10 from the field and 1-of-6 from three.
Last week, Snyder talked about Young carrying the load while the Hawks have several key injuries.
“Injuries that we have are at his position. The ball-handling responsibility falls on Trae [Young],” Snyder said. “When you are the person the other team plans for; when [Bilal] Coulibaly guards you, when [Lu] Dort guards you, Trae’s got the toughest matchup, and offensively we’re depending on his ability to create.
“We’re asking him to defend, play 40 minutes. He holds himself accountable because he wants to win. It’s a challenge for him, but if you guys know, Trae is really competitive.”
Hawks getting positive injury news as season progresses
Along with Trae Young being listed as probably, De'Andre Hunter was listed as questionable with right knee injury management after missing the last couple of games. Getting Hunter back would be great for the Hawks, as they need more defense and scoring on the court. Getting Hunter back will also mean their starting lineup is back healthy, as Dyson Daniels also returned from his hip injury two games ago.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has been out since the season opener with right hamstring tendinopathy, was seen doing stretching and ball-handling drills at practice, and his return to the court could be in the coming weeks. Vit Krejci was also seen at practice running, as he's missed some time with a right adductor strain. Last week, Kobe Bufkin was shooting at practice as he's been dealing with a right shoulder subluxation.
With several of those players coming back to the practice floor, there should be some good news on the horizon for the Hawks health-wise. For the time being, players such as Keaton Wallace and Garrison Mathews have stepped up for the Hawks, and Quin Snyder credited the coaching staff and their development in the system for their strong play.
“They’re examples of the development of our program,” Snyder said. “If you watch tape of Garrison from two years ago and the things that he’s doing differently as far as how he’s putting the ball on the floor.
“Keaton’s been in our program. He was banged up last year. Those guys are being trained both in conceptually what we want to do as a team. There’s this huge investment. I point to my coaching staff. They’re in there every day with those guys. Keaton, Garrison, and others are in there and they’re working on things that they think can help them so when they do have these opportunities, they’re prepared. As a coach and for their teammates, that gives you confidence.”
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