SUMMARY
- Trae Young tore an RCL in his finger during the Hawks vs. Raptors game.
- The 3x NBA All-Star will undergo surgery to repair the damage.
During one of the most crucial parts of the season, Trae Young will not be performing alongside his teammates for a while. The Atlanta Hawks have been dealing with a lot of issues since the start of the season. This was supposed to be a comeback season after a tough loss during the 2023 NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics. However, they’ve experienced a lot of consistency issues.
Trae Young was on pace to become the youngest player in NBA history to reach 10,000+ points (10,334) and 4,000+ assists (3,838). He’s one of just three players to have 10,000+ points and 3,800+ assists, through his age-25 season.
Stephon Marbury
LeBron James
Trae Young pic.twitter.com/H5WrW6FTD4— Kevin Keneely (@KevinKeneely1) February 25, 2024
Earlier this season, the Hawks were heavily discussed in potential trades involving Dejounte Murray. The Murray-Young dynamic barely worked out and the Hawks struggled to win games as well. However, everything simmered down as the deadline passed with the Hawks seemingly focused on utilizing the best of what they’ve got. Murray and Young are All-Star players, a dynamic that not many teams have. But it seems like their hopes of a playoff run may not be fulfilled this season.
Trae Young will undergo surgery to repair a torn RCL
Trae Young has had a couple of injuries since the start of the season including a concussion that left him sidelined for a couple of games. During that period, Dejounte Murray was left alone to handle the Hawks. But they still failed to accumulate enough wins to climb up the Eastern Conference ladder. However, after he recovered from the concussion, Young managed to lead the team to a 6-6 record. Unfortunately, he injured himself after the Hawks returned following the 2024 All-Star break.
I believe that this play was the one where Trae Young injured his finger. pic.twitter.com/v3YOoBgaod
— Kevin Chouinard (@KLChouinard) February 25, 2024
It was against the Toronto Raptors that Young tore the RCL of this fifth finger on his left hand. Young finished the game with only 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 7 assists on 4-13 shooting. NBA reporter Shams Charania recently revealed that Young will be undergoing surgery to repair the damage. This isn’t great news for the Hawks, as they make a push to climb up the play-in berths.
Trae Young is expected to return in April
As per league sources, Trae Young is expected to be re-evaluated four weeks after the surgery. The Hawks have roughly 15 games scheduled during this period. Young’s long absence will be detrimental to the team’s progress, especially since the play-in tournament is their only way into the playoffs this season. Young has been aver averaging 26.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 10.8 assists per game this season.
The Hawks are already hanging on by a thread. They rank 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 25-32 record. Other teams are far ahead of the Hawks in terms of their record. The Hawks hold a 3-3 record without Young in the lineup. They’ve got enough talent to help achieve consistent victories, but the only issue is consistent individual contributions are a major lacking. Plus, the Hawks could potentially face other injuries sooner or later that could stagger them.