To say that the Atlanta Hawks are stretched pretty thin in terms of primary ball handlers wouldn’t be an exaggeration right about now. The number of players nursing various injuries is extensive. Where does that leave Trae Young? Is he on the injury list? Let’s take a look at the key details as State Farm Arena prepares for an Eastern Conference battle.
The straightforward answer is that Young is listed as ‘probable’ for the Knicks matchup. But that was pretty much expected after he suffered what the team ruled as a right rib sprain in the third quarter of their loss to the Boston Celtics previously. But ‘Ice Trae’ is just the latest addition to a team plagued with injuries left, right, and center.
Four of the Blackhawks’ top nine rotational players have been absent in the past six-seven games. In fact, Dyson Daniels just returned after a two-game absence. But the rest of the report is not comforting. Bogdan Bogdanovic continues his rehabbing process after a non-surgical procedure on a hamstring injury and is to re-evaluated in four weeks.
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Seth Lundy’s (ankle) status, too, seems to have not changed. As for Vit Krejci, he will be out for, at the very least, another week. And then there is Kobe Bufkin who also continues on the bench after partially dislocating his shoulder again last month.
Considering the circumstances, Trae Young‘s absence does not bode well for the team. And its an aspect that Quin Snyder is well aware of. When he was asked about an update on the 26-year-old post Celtics game, he said, “I’m not honestly even gonna try to give you that information,” the frustration clear in his words.
Recovering quickly, he painted a more encouraging picture. “He’s [Trae Young] worn down. We’ve got a lot of guys, they’re competing. That’s all that you can ask. Try to, as I said, even when the game is lopsided like this is, if there’s things you can take from it, we’ll try to do that.”
In eight games this season, Trae Young has averaged 23.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 11.1 assists while shooting 39.2% from the field and 30.7% from the deep in 36 minutes per game.
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The Hawks vs Knicks preview: A battle to bounce back
We don’t have to tell you that both teams are coming off losses to this matchup. The ‘Big Apple’ fell to the Rockets 109-97, despite a strong showing from their starters. In fact, they combined for a total of 96 points in the defeat. However, the Knicks’ bench struggled (scoring just 3 points), ultimately hurting their chances against a balanced Rockets team. Hence, this lack of depth scoring could prove to be a concern as they look to get back to winning ways against a short-handed Hawks squad.
What about Trae Young & Co.? For starters, they are reeling from 123-93 blowout loss to the reigning champions. While the fact they are missing quite a bit of their players looms above, Boston, too was, missing crucial players in Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis. This could only mean that aspects like defense and overall team cohesion are areas that need to be addressed if they hope to stand a chance against a talented NYC team, determined to make a deep playoff run.
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There is no two ways that both teams will look to bounce back in a move to establish some early-season momentum. The Knicks will be looking for more production from their bench, while the Hawks will focus on tightening up defensively and avoiding another lopsided score.
Anyway, it will be an interesting matchup scheduled to tip off at 7:30 PM ET. So, keep checking this space for more updates as they come in.
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