Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Hawks' Trae Young diagnosed with Grade 2 lateral ankle sprain

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Apr 22, 2021 7:55 PM ET

Any screams you heard on Wednesday night may have been sounds of Atlanta Hawks fans watching All-Star guard Trae Young sprain his left ankle late in the third quarter of the loss to the New York Knicks.

Young and the Hawks managed to avoid a serious setback.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that an MRI showed Young suffered a Grade 2 lateral ankle sprain. Wojnarowski added the 22-year-old can return to the Atlanta lineup "once swelling and discomfort are gone." A timetable for when Young may be back on the court wasn't mentioned.

Young discussed the injury on ESPN Thursday afternoon:

Per ESPN stats, Young is third in the NBA with 9.6 assists per game and is also averaging 25.3 points, good for 15th in the Association this season. He won't play Friday night versus the Miami Heat and will likely miss multiple contests.

Atlanta entered Thursday evening fifth in the Eastern Conference standings at 32-27.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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