Young To Miss Trip To Chicago
Trae Young sprained his right ankle in the second quarter against the Bucks on Friday night and will not travel with the team to Chicago on Saturday. The point guard sustained the injury as he drove into the lane late in the second quarter in Friday's game and was called for an offensive foul. He was helped off the court by teammates and did not return.
Young had X-rays done after the game, which turned out negative, according to a Hawks press release. He'll stay in Atlanta in the coming days to receive treatment on his ankle and his status will be updated as he progresses, per the release.
"He was trying to create a little contact, and as he's going in he stepped on George's foot," Lloyd Pierce said after the game. "It didn't swell too bad when we were in there right now, but I don't know anything beyond that."
Pierce hadn't spoken to Chelsea Lane, the Hawks' VP of Athletic Performance and Sports Medicine, when he addressed the media after the game.
Young sprained the same ankle on October 29 in Miami and missed the following game. He'll miss at least one game this time around but hopes to return as soon as possible. The Hawks have three upcoming road games, and given the fact that Young will stay in Atlanta tomorrow, it does not appear likely that he will play before January 4 against Indiana.
"I rolled it pretty bad. It hurts pretty bad right now," Young said after the game. "I'm going to stay here and do some treatment in the morning and try to fight my way to get back as quick as possible."
According to Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks have scored 0.97 points per possession without Young on the floor this season -- a mark that would rank last in the league by a wide margin. Without a true backup point guard, Kevin Huerter, DeAndre' Bembry, and Evan Turner will likely assume more ball-handling duties in Young absence.
