All Timberwolves

Hawks rule out Trae Young, Jalen Johnson for Monday's game against Wolves

Young leads the NBA in assists per game this season.
Will Ragatz|
Jan 23, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives to the basket against the Toronto Raptors in the second quarter at State Farm Arena.
Jan 23, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives to the basket against the Toronto Raptors in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

In this story:

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Atlanta Hawks will be quite shorthanded during Monday night's game against the Timberwolves at Target Center.

The Hawks ruled out star point guard Trae Young due to a hamstring injury on Sunday. Young, who has played in 42 of Atlanta's 45 games this season, leads the team in points per game (22.8) and leads the entire NBA in assists per game (11.5). The No. 5 overall pick in 2018 is a three-time All-Star and 2022 All-NBA selection.

Also out for the Hawks is Jalen Johnson, their second-best player. He averages 18.9 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. Johnson suffered a shoulder injury on Thursday and is out indefinitely.

And it might not end there. De'Andre Hunter, the Hawks' sixth man and third-leading scorer, is listed as questionable with an illness. No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, their starting power forward, is questionable with an adductor sprain. Bench forward Larry Nance Jr. is also questionable.

Creating offense could be an issue for the Hawks without Young and Johnson. If Hunter is also out, they'll be leaning on players like Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu, and Vit Krejci. Atlanta has lost four in a row and sits in ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 22-23 record.

The Wolves have won two in a row and are up to seventh in the Western Conference at 24-21, trailing the Lakers and Clippers by two games in the hunt to avoid the play-in tournament. They're coming off maybe their best performance of the season in Saturday's blowout win over the Nuggets.

This will be the second and final meeting of the season between these two teams. The Hawks won 117-104 in Atlanta on Dec. 23, but Young and Johnson combined for 46 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists in that game. Garrison Mathews had 25 points off the bench for the Hawks in that one.

It's a 7 p.m. CT start in Minneapolis on Monday.

Published
Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

Share on XFollow WillRagatz
Home/Minnesota Timberwolves News