Trae Young Avoids ACL Injury, Hawks Star to Get MRI on Knee After Exiting vs. Nets
Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young fortunately avoided an ACL injury despite leaving Wednesday's game against the Brooklyn Nets.
"The most important thing is it is not his ACL," head coach Quin Snyder told reporters after the game. "He's going to get an MRI tonight or tomorrow, and make a determination from there. Not sure how long or what respect, but something he's hopefully going to be back from whenever possible."
Young suffered the injury when his teammate, Mouhamed Gueye, fell and collided with his leg.
The severity of Young's injury is still unknown, but the Hawks can't afford to be without the four-time All-Star for long given their struggles early on. Atlanta is 1-3 to start the season with losses to the Toronto Raptors, Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls and a win over the Orlando Magic.
Young hasn't yet hit his stride four games into the season. While he's putting up 20.8 points and 9.5 assists per game, he's shooting 36.4 percent from the field and an abysmal 19.2 percent from deep. His early struggles have contributed to Atlanta's woes.
He had six points, an assist and a rebound in seven minutes before exiting Wednesday's contest.
If the knee issue keeps Young out for an extended period, the Hawks will likely make Luke Kennard the starting point guard in his place. Kennard, a sharpshooting guard who spent last season with the Memphis Grizzlies, signed a one-year, $11 million contract with Atlanta this offseason.
The Hawks, who won their division and reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, have missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons and finished 40-42 a year ago.
After reloading with some talent like Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kristaps Porziņģis, Atlanta is looking to make a playoff run, but that would be made much more difficult without Young on the court.
