As the Atlanta Hawks try to hold on to the 10-seed in the Eastern Conference and make the Play-In Tournament, they’ll be without their best player.
All-Star guard Trae Young will be out for at least a month after suffering a torn ligament in his pinky finger which will require surgery.
An @emoryhealthcare injury update:
During Friday’s game, Trae Young suffered a left-hand injury. He underwent an MRI yesterday, which revealed a tear of the radial collateral ligament (RCL) in the fifth finger of his left hand. He will undergo surgery to repair the RCL on… pic.twitter.com/V0OXvUGCBv
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 25, 2024
“During Friday’s game, Trae Young suffered a left-hand injury. He underwent an MRI yesterday, which revealed a tear of the radial collateral ligament (RCL) in the fifth finger of his left hand. He will undergo surgery to repair the RCL on Tuesday and will be re-evaluated in four weeks,” the Hawks said in a release Sunday afternoon.
Young is currently 11th in the NBA in points per game with 26.4 and second in the league in assists per game with 10.8. His loss will be incredibly tough to navigate for an Atlanta team that has already lost three in a row.
If Young is cleared to return in four weeks, he will be able to play in the Hawks’ final 11 games, but obviously, any setbacks would put the remainder of Young’s regular season in jeopardy.
Dejounte Murray, Atlanta’s second-leading scorer is expected to step up and help fill the offensive void left by Young’s absence. The eighth-year guard has already been having a strong season, averaging a career-high 21.5 points per game.
