The Atlanta Hawks continue to be without the services of star guard Trae Young as he recovers from a knee injury.
Atlanta has stood its ground as a team is in the playoff mix to start the 2025-26 NBA season, but having Young back in the rotation will benefit them even further.
Here’s the latest on his potential timetable to return to the court.
Latest Update on Trae Young’s Recovery
After playing in the first five games of the campaign, Young has been on the sidelines injuring his knee in late October.
Young suffered an MCL sprain in the Hawks’ matchup against the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 29. He left the game after just seven minutes of action.
NBA insider Shams Charania revealed on Nov. 1 that the star guard sprained the MCL in his right knee and was in line to miss a full month. However, he also relayed the good news that Young avoided major structural damage in the knee.
Young has missed the last 14 games for Atlanta, including the Hawks’ last contest against the Washington Wizards on Nov. 25. Despite missing their best player, the team has persevered in his absence. After starting 2-3, the Hawks have gone 9-5 without Young.
They’ve managed to build chemistry even as players have been in and out of the rotation due to injury, placing themselves in the early playoff mix as a result.
Young has been the face of the franchise since the Hawks obtained him in a draft-day trade with the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic. Young is now in his eighth year in the league and has earned four All-Star selections and one All-NBA Third Team selection, the latter which came at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season.
He gifted Atlanta its deepest playoff run in the modern era by reaching the East Finals in 2021 and helped keep them at a competitive level since.
What’s Next for Hawks?
The Hawks are naturally hoping Young’s return is imminent. With nearly a month since the injury took place, there’s optimism he can be back in dominant form in short order.
Going into Nov. 26 action, Atlanta has an 11-8 record while holding the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference standings. They are ahead on tie-breaker with the Orlando Magic, a half game behind the New York Knicks, and one game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Hawks will play their last game of the NBA Cup group play stage at home on Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Their following game is on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. ET.