The Atlanta Hawks are awaiting the return of point guard Trae Young, who has been out of the lineup since late October with an MCL sprain sustained against the Brooklyn Nets. In his absence, Jalen Johnson has taken over as the face of the franchise moving forward, but that still doesn't mean that Young's presence isn't sorely missed.
Earlier in the day on Wednesday, the Hawks recalled Young from a brief practice stint with the G League's College Park Skyhawks, and later in the afternoon, they announced their initial injury report for Thursday's game against the Charlotte Hornets, with an encouraging Young upgrade listed.
“The Hawks have upgraded Trae Young (right knee MCL sprain) to questionable for Thursday’s game at Charlotte,” reported NBA insider Marc Stein on X, formerly Twitter.
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In Young's absence, the Hawks have stepped up their defensive intensity and switchability, but the offense has predictably taken a hit, even as Johnson continues to perform at an All-NBA level.
Currently, the Hawks sit at 15-12, eighth in the Eastern Conference but only a game out of third place. It will certainly be interesting to see how head coach Quin Snyder and company choose to reintegrate Young into the fold on both ends of the floor, considering Johnson's star turn.
In any case, the Hawks and Hornets are set to tip things off on Thursday evening at 7:00 pm ET from Charlotte. After that, the Hawks will catch a late flight home before hitting the floor the following evening against the San Antonio Spurs.