Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks have had a struggle so far on the 2023-24 season, to say the least, as the team prepares to return from the All-Star break festivities. Young has been playing perhaps the best basketball of his career in recent months, rewarded with his efforts with a trip to Indiana for the big game this past weekend, but it hasn’t translated to many wins for the Hawks, who currently sit in tenth place in the logjam that is the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Things won’t be getting any easier for Atlanta going forward. Recently, it was announced by Hawks head coach Quin Snyder that backup center Onyeka Okongwu, who is dealing with a left toe sprain, “is not going to be available for the foreseeable future,” per ESPN (via the Associated Press).
This occurs just as the Hawks were set to get back starting center Clint Capela, who had missed time in recent weeks with an injury of his own.
Although Capela figures to be back in the lineup when the Hawks retake the court on Friday evening vs the Toronto Raptors, it seems that the team will be extra cautious in bringing him back after he missed six straight games with a left adductor strain.
“We’ll get Clint back but he’ll be in a situation where it’s been a few weeks since he has played and I’m sure he will be on some kind of minutes restriction. Those are things we just need to continue to work through,” said Snyder.
The Hawks and Raptors tip off at 7:30 PM ET.
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