The Atlanta Hawks have been staying afloat for most of the season without Trae Young, as he suffered an MCL sprain at the end of October. He's been out since, but it looks like the star guard will be making his return to the floor against the Charlotte Hornets, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
“Atlanta's Trae Young – out since Oct. 29 with a sprained MCL – will make his return tonight against the Charlotte Hornets, sources tell ESPN. The Hawks went 13-9 without Young and now get their starting point guard back,” Charania wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
This is a big development for the Hawks, as they'll be adding a legit scorer to the fold, as well as one of the best playmakers in the league. Without Young, the Hawks have been atop the league in assists, and it should only get better with Young coming back into the fold.
Without Young, other players have had to step up in his absence, and they've done just that. Jalen Johnson is the player who has taken the reins as the Hawks' go-to player, and he's been delivering. This season, he's averaging 22.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 8.2 assists, and is making a case for being a first-time All-Star.
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Things should not change for Johnson with Young returning, and if anything, it should take the pressure off of him when looking at the responsibility he's had over the past month.
The Hawks are almost back at full health, but they are still waiting for Kristaps Porzingis to return, as he's sidelined for the next two weeks because of an illness. It seems like it may be a recurrence of the POTS syndrome, which is what he was dealing with when he was with the Boston Celtics last season.
Even without Porzingis, the Hawks have still played well.