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There has been a 6'0", 205-pound hole in Atlanta since July 2021 when Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. went down with an ACL tear. Finally, after a lengthy rehabilitation process, the 24-year-old returned to the lineup last night and did not disappoint. Acuna finished with a single and two stolen bases in a winning effort, so he is officially back.

To mark his return to Truist Field, Acuna rolled into the stadium wearing the 2021-22 Nike City Edition jersey for the Atlanta Hawks. As of there was any doubt, it was Trae Young's number 11.

We love to see it. Last month, Acuna made waves by showing up to Spring Training in Florida wearing a Memphis Grizzlies Ja Morant jersey. Everyone was quick to point out that Acuna had been supportive of Young in the past and was likely just a fan of Morant's exciting play like the rest of us.

But the story gets better from there. Not only did Young use his Twitter account to shout out Acuna, but according to David O'Brien of The Athletic, Acuna said Young was among the many players from other teams who texted him since he got the news at 1 a.m.

It's cool that the city of Atlanta has so many talented, young stars to cheer for, but it's even better that they are tight-knit and support one another. Between the Braves defending their world championship and the Hawks looking to get back to contender status, it's going to be an exciting summer in Atlanta.

As always, we will keep you updated with breaking news, highlights, and analysis for your Atlanta Hawks. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com all summer long.

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