Trae Young Gets New Designation On Atlanta's Newest Injury Report

How does the injury report look for the Hawks ahead of tomorrow's game vs the Hornets

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

After getting a win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, the Hawks have been off and getting ready to play the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, the first game of a back-to-back.

Ahead of the game tomorrow, the Hawks have released their injury report. Trae Young has been upgraded to questionable, while Kristaps Porzingis remains out.

Now, just because he has been upgraded to questionable does not mean that he is going to play. Young has not played since an Oct. 29th win over the Brooklyn Nets and the Hawks have been wise in being cautious with their approach to the star point guard's injury. If he plays, don't be surprised if there is a minutes restriction for him. Since the Hawks also have a back-to-back and face the Spurs on Friday, it would not be surprising if Young does not suit up tomorrow night.

An @emoryhealthcare injury report for tomorrow’s game at Charlotte:

Trae Young (right knee MCL sprain): Questionable

Kristaps Porzingis (illness): Out pic.twitter.com/oI0UigUJeK

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 17, 2025

Will Young's return push the Hawks to the top?

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

The big question on the minds of Hawks fans has been how the team will look when Young returns to 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 not to 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.