Atlanta Hawks Give New Update On When Trae Young Is Expected To Return to Practice

Young has been out with an injury since Oct. 29th, but he might be nearing his return

Oct 24, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives around Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) during the second quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young has not played since Oct. 29th against Brooklyn due to a knee injury suffered in that game, but he could be close to returning. A new update from the Hawks today indicates that Young is close to returning:

"Trae Young sustained a right knee MCL sprain on Oct. 29 at Brooklyn. He continues to increase his reconditioning activities and is expected to return to practice next week. His status will be updated as appropriate."

An @emoryhealthcare injury update:

Trae Young sustained a right knee MCL sprain on Oct. 29 at Brooklyn. He continues to increase his reconditioning activities and is expected to return to practice next week. His status will be updated as appropriate. pic.twitter.com/XfqPsHUv1z

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 13, 2025

Atlanta plays at home tomorrow night against the 76ers, but then they do not play until Thursday night when they face Charlotte. Is it possible that Young is back on the court then? Maybe, or it could be next Friday night against the Spurs. Either way, this seems to be a positive update for the Hawks star and the team should get a big boost when he comes back.

What will his impact be?

Oct 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) brings the ball up court against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The big question that has been on the mind of Hawks fans has been how the team will look when Young is back in the lineup. Atlanta has held up well since Young went down with his injury, but will re-integrating him into the lineup be more difficult than it might appear? I tend to not think so because Young has been playing for so long, but the Hawks have built a nice identity around emerging forward Jalen Johnson.

Young is a player that is going to want the ball in his hands and he is one of the best playmakers and shot creators in the entire league, but will that mess with how Johnson has been playing? As the vocal leader of the offense, Johnson has been posting unreal statistics, including back-to-back triple doubles. Having Young back might mean that Johnson is going to take a backseat as the focal point of the offense and it will be interesting to see how that meshes.

Another interesting aspect to Young returning is what happens with Nickeil Alexander-Walker. He has been thrust into the starting lineups since Young has been injured and he has put up multiple 30-point games and was fantastic for the team on defense.

Those are the tough questions that the Hawks will have to answer, but for now, they have to be glad to be able to get a break and get their feet back under them. The Eastern Conference is a big cluster of teams close to each other and a fresh Hawks team should be able to continue to win and make a charge up the standings.