According to Jason Owens of Yahoo! Sports on Sunday, Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young of Lubbock, Texas will need surgery on his right hand after tearing a ligament. The injury happened on Friday in a 123-121 Hawks loss to the Toronto Raptors. Ironically it is the Raptors that are one of the two NBA teams trying to catch the Hawks for the final spot in the play-in tournament. The other is the Brooklyn Nets.
In 2023-24, Young leads the Hawks in scoring with 26.4 points per game, and leads the Hawks in assists per game with 10.8. He also has 2.7 rebounds per game, a team-high 1.4 steals per game, a field goal percentage of .426, three-point percentage of .371, and a free throw percentage of .856.
That said, even though the Hawks were without Young on Sunday, they still came through and delivered a 109-92 upset win over the Orlando Magic. Guard Dejounte Murray of Seattle, Washington and forward Jalen Johnson of Wausau, Wisconsin each had double-doubles. Murray had 25 points and 11 assists, while Johnson had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Both Johnson and Murray will be counted on significantly in Young’s absence.
Young has been with the Hawks for six seasons. Near the beginning of his career, there was a significant amount of hype. He was considered one of the most exciting point guards in the entire league. However over the years Young has been considered controversial. He did not get along with former Hawks head coach Nate McMillan, and according to Mike Chiari of Bleacher Report, was fined by the Hawks during the 2022 NBA Playoffs for using a private plane from Miami to Atlanta without consulting the team.
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