NBA Insider Reveals Imminent Return for Hawks’ Franchise Player

NBA Insider Reveals Imminent Return for Trae Young

Young tore his left pinky late in a matchup against the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 23. After undergoing surgery on Feb. 25, he was originally set to be sidelined for four weeks. With an Apr. 10 return date, Young is two weeks behind schedule.

Atlanta went 12-11 in the 23 games that Young was out. Dejounte Murray is stepping up the most in his absence. The only other Hawks player that’s been named an All-Star in his career, Murray’s averaged 24.8 points, 9.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, shooting 36.4 percent from 3 since Feb. 25. However, his engine has started to stall with the weight on his shoulders. In his last five games, Murray’s averaged 20.0 points per game on 38.6 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from 3.

With that said, the Hawks have played reasonably well without Young. Nonetheless, his return to the court comes at a great time. Young, an exceptional shot-creator and shot-maker, is averaging 26.4 points and 10.8 assists per game this season while shooting 37.1 percent from deep.

Furthermore, Atlanta is facing the Chicago Bulls in Play-In Tournament, which begins on Apr. 16. A single-elimination tournament, the Hawks will need all the firepower they can get. The Bulls are a middling team in many ways. Yet, they have two proven volume-scorers in DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic. 2024 Most Improved Player candidate Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu have scoring upside as well.