Trae Young's Status Revealed For Today's Game vs the Knicks

After being listed as probable coming into today's game, Trae Young is available to play vs the Knicks.

An @emoryhealthcare injury report for today’s game vs. New York:

Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis): Available

Kobe Bufkin (right shoulder surgery): Out
Clint Capela (left fourth metacarpal ligament sprain): Out
Jalen Johnson (left shoulder surgery): Out
Larry Nance Jr.… pic.twitter.com/YR7QUcJyzK
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 5, 2025

Our own Rohan Raman gave an in-depth preview of tonight's game:

"Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 5th in the NBA in PPG, 14th in FG%, 15th in 3PA, 19th in 3P%, 1st in FTA, 26th in turnovers, and 14th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 17th in points per 100 possessions, 17th in effective field goal percentage, 21st in turnover percentage, 12th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 8th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 27th in PPG allowed, 28th in field goal percentage allowed, 15th in three-point attempts allowed, and 28th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 18th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

New York has one of the best scoring units in the NBA. They're 9th in points per game, 4th in FG%, 27th in 3PA, 10th in 3P%, 24th in FTA, 4th in turnovers, and 24th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, New York is 5th in points per 100 possessions, 8th in effective field goal percentage, 5th in turnover percentage, 11th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 17th in free throw rate.

The Knicks' defense isn't great on the perimeter, but they are capable of limiting most offenses. They are 10th in PPG allowed, 23rd in field goal percentage allowed, 5th in three-point attempts allowed, and 27th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, New York is 12th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 22nd in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Throughout the last four matchups between the Knicks and Hawks, New York has been without Mitchell Robinson. He's returned to the lineup on a reduced minutes workload and just sat out against the Cavaliers, so there's a good chance he'll play today. The seven-footer is a great rebounder and defender that usually struggles to hit his free throws. However, he's shooting a career-high 73.3% from the charity stripe. Intentionally fouling Robinson is theoretically a viable strategy for the Hawks late, but if he can hit his free throws, that reduces one possible advantage that Atlanta has. The combination of Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns is going to be tough for Onyeka Okongwu to slow down, especially considering that this is a highly unfavorable matchup for Dominick Barlow. Therefore, Okongwu is going to have to play heavy minutes for the Hawks to have a chance in this one. He's struggled in the past against the Knicks, but he is coming off a solid game versus Anthony Davis and did a good job of deterring the Mavericks in the paint.

One of Trae Young's favorite teams to play against is the New York Knicks. He always comes into this matchup with something to prove and dropped a 38 point, 19 assist double-double in his last appearance versus the Knicks. However, his efficiency hasn't been great as of late. While he's still good for 20+ points and 10+ assists on any given night, he hasn't eclipsed a league-average TS% of 57.6% in his last three games. On the season, his TS% of 56.4% is his worst mark since his rookie season. Given that this game could very easily turn into a shootout, it's something to watch as his efficiency will likely have major consequences for the Hawks down the stretch. He'll likely draw Delon Wright on defense if Brunson can't suit up tonight. Wright is a solid defender and should be able to hang with Young, even if he can't stop him.

Speaking of Wright, the possible absence of Jalen Brunson means he'll have to square off against arguably the NBA's best perimeter defender in Dyson Daniels. Daniels has been incredible throughout the Hawks' second-half schedule and he's averaging 3.1 steals per game. Wright could have a very tough time against the tenacious defender - look for Daniels to get back to his usual numbers after being held to one steal against Dallas.

After a 36-point outing against the Bucks, Zaccharie Risacher has had back-to-back quiet games against the Blazers and Mavericks. In those two outings, he's scored a combined 18 points on 8-25 shooting from the field and only made one three-pointer. Fortunately, he's performed quite well against the Knicks in his young career. Risacher had an excellent 33 point game where he nailed six threes early in the season against New York while also recording 16 points on 6-11 shooting in their most recent game. He does also have a 2-point dud on his resume against the Knicks, but he's generally been able to take advantage of their leaky perimeter defense.

In terms of larger trends for the Hawks, they have to be better with turnovers than they were against Dallas. The Mavericks turned Atlanta's 11 turnovers into 19 points and that played a massive role in the tight game. Given that it is likely for today's game to be tightly contested, the Hawks have to do a better job of limiting their turnovers. Young had eight turnovers during their last game against New York, but no other Hawk had more than one. Therefore, there's some reason to believe they can show improvement in this area. Furthermore, the Hawks do have a better second unit than the Knicks. New York will be without Deuce McBride, who is a key contributor in their rotation. The duo of Georges Niang and Caris LeVert offer plenty of secondary scoring that should be critical for Atlanta's chances in this one."

Additional Links

Hawks vs Knicks: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups For Tonight's Game

Terance Mann Excited For His Role As the Assistant GM For FSU While Embracing Friendly Competition With Trae Young

2025 NBA Playoff Picture: What Are the Postseason Scenarios For Today?