Trae Young, the focal point of the Atlanta offense averaging 26.4 points and 10.8 assists a game, will be out at least a month following hand surgery, the team has announced.
Young suffered a tear to the radial collateral ligament to the little finger of his left hand (his non-shooting hand), which is a ligament for the joint in the middle of the finger. He will undergo surgery to repair the ligament on Tuesday in New York and will be re-evaluated in a month.
An @emoryhealthcare injury update:
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 25, 2024
During Friday’s game, Trae Young suffered a left-hand injury. He underwent an MRI yesterday, which revealed a tear of the radial collateral ligament (RCL) in the fifth finger of his left hand. He will undergo surgery to repair the RCL on… pic.twitter.com/V0OXvUGCBv
Re: Trae Young: Not a ton of great examples for comparison as this is an uncommon injury. While most finger injuries are repaired during the offseason, RCL injuries of the pinkie are often functionally limiting and it likely made more sense to act now.
— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) February 25, 2024
The injury appeared to happen on a defensive play, with Young reaching out for a steal.
I believe that this play was the one where Trae Young injured his finger. pic.twitter.com/v3YOoBgaod
— Kevin Chouinard (@KLChouinard) February 25, 2024
This will put a lot more pressure on Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovic (both of whom were almost traded at the deadline) to create offense for Atlanta.
The Hawks sit 10th in the West, 3.5 games up on the 11th-seed Nets (who are struggling in their own right and just fired their coach). While it seems unlikely Atlanta will climb in the standings (it is now two games back of Chicago for ninth), it can also hold onto a play-in spot if other players step up.
Young will be re-evaluated in late March, with about three weeks remaining in the regular season. He could be back on the court for any play-in games.
