Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee during a 117-112 win over Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who also reported Saturday that Young will be reevaluated in four weeks. Young underwent an MRI on Friday, and, according to Charania, multiple doctors’ reports showed that the four-time All-Star avoided major structural damage in the knee.
Young suffered the injury on a collision with teammate Mouhamed Gueye. It took place late in the first quarter. Gueye fell backward after contact on the baseline and directly into Young’s right knee. Young’s knee bent in the wrong direction, and he fell to the floor, clutching his knee in pain.
Young was able to walk to the sideline and speak with head coach Quin Snyder. But he left for the locker room and was ruled out before halftime with a sprained knee.
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Hawks have promise, but they’re counting on Young
Trae Young’s knee bent awkwardly, and he was ruled out shortly after leaving for the locker room.
(Sarah Stier via Getty Images)
The Hawks appear to have dodged a more significant blow to their biggest star. Still, Young’s absence won’t go unnoticed. Young has led Atlanta scoring in each season since his 2018-19 rookie campaign. He averaged 24.2 points and a league-high 11.6 assists per game last season while shooting 34% on 8.4 3-point attempts per game.
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Young is the offensive centerpiece of a roster that Atlanta hopes can propel the Hawks into contention in a wide-open Eastern Conference.
The Hawks added Kristaps Porziņģis to a roster that also features reigning NBA Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels, who led the league in steals, earned first-team All-Defensive team honors and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season.
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Atlanta also returned two-way rising star Jalen Johnson, who was on his way to his first All-Star campaign in 2024-25 before knee and shoulder injuries limited him to 36 games and ultimately ended his season early. And last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher, is back after rallying from early-season efficiency struggles to finish second in Rookie of the Year voting.
It’s a roster without a track record, but it has plenty of upside in an Eastern Conference that’s up for grabs. Whatever the Hawks do this season, they’re counting on Young to be at the center of it.