Atlanta Hawks All-Star Trae Young left Wednesday’s 117-112 win over Brooklyn Nets with a sprained knee after a collision with teammate Mouhamed Gueye.
The injury took place late in the first quarter. Gueye fell backward after contact on the baseline and directly into Young’s right knee. Young’s knee bent in the wrong direction, and he fell to the floor, clutching his knee in pain.
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Young was able to walk to the sideline and speak with head coach Quin Snyder. But he left for the locker room and was ruled out before halftime with a sprained knee.
The extent of Young’s knee sprain wasn’t initially clear. Snyder said postgame that the injury is not to Young’s ACL and that he’ll undergo and MRI later Wednesday on Thursday for further diagnosis.
Trae Young’s knee bent awkwardly, and he was ruled out shortly after leaving for the locker room.
(Sarah Stier via Getty Images)Hawks have promise, but they’re counting on Young
An injury of any significance would be a blow to the Hawks. A four-time All-Star, Young has led Atlanta scoring in each season since his 2018-19 rookie campaign. He averaged 24.2 points and a league-high 11.6 assists per game last season while shooting 34% on 8.4 3-point attempts per game.
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Young is the offensive centerpiece of a roster that Atlanta hopes can propel the Hawks into contention in a wide-open Eastern Conference.
The Hawks added Kristaps Porziņģis to a roster that also features reigning NBA Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels, who led the league in steals, earned first-team All-Defensive team honors and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season.
Atlanta also returns two-way rising star Jalen Johnson, who was on his way to his first All-Star campaign in 2024-25 before knee and shoulder injuries limited him to 36 games and ultimately ended his season early. And last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher, is back after rallying from early-season efficiency struggles to finish second in Rookie of the Year voting.
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It’s a roster without a track record, but plenty of upside in an Eastern Conference that’s up for grabs. Whatever the Hawks do this season, they’re counting on Young to be at the center of it.