Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young is out at least the next four weeks with a torn ligament in his left pinkie finger, the team announced on Sunday. The three-time All-Star will be e-evaluated in four weeks.
Young sustained the injury during Friday night’s 123-121 loss to the Toronto Raptors and will undergo surgery Tuesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.
“You feel awful for Trae more than anything,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “It is going to be a challenge for him not to be out there.”
An @emoryhealthcare injury update:
Trae Young (left fifth finger injury): Out https://t.co/GsTMsmyO9X
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 25, 2024
The loss of Young comes as the Hawks, fighting for the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, are facing front-line depth issues as center Onyeka recovers from a sprained left toe. Snyder said Thursday that Okongwu is not going to be available for the foreseeable future.
“You have to adapt,” Snyder said. “That happened when we lost Jalen [Johnson]. We have to have minutes from Kobe [Bufkin] and Patty [Mills] and we obviously know what [Dejounte Murray] can do. I don’t want to wallow in anything.”
Atlanta Hawks are 3-3 in games played without Trae Young this season
The Hawks are 3-3 in games Young missed this season. Atlanta blew out the Orlando Magic 109-92 without him on Sunday. Young leads the team in points (26.4) and assists (10.8) per game.
Furthermore, Murray will probably become the team’s lead ball-hander with Young sidelined.
Murray finished with 25 points, a season-high-tying 11 assists, and nine rebounds in Sunday’s win against Orlando.
“We don’t have any excuses. This is the NBA,” Murray said. “Obviously, we want him to get back as soon as he can. But while he’s out, next man up. That’s it. There’s opportunities for guys to show why they are in the NBA.”
Bogdan Bogdanovic replaced Young in the starting lineup for Sunday night’s game. Bogdanovic has averaged 16.8 points in 46 games as a reserve. He added 17 in the win.
“This will be fluid. If Boji starts, we lose his punch off the bench,” Snyder said. “Do you want him stabilizing the second unit? There’s a lot of things that go into it. We will approach it that way.”
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