Hawks Injury Update: Will Trae Young Play Tonight? Will 2X All-Star Bring Atlanta Back to Winning Ways vs Pistons?

The Atlanta Hawks are getting ready to face the Detroit Pistons at the Little Caesars Arena tonight. With Trae Young also joining the injury report, the Hawks will be down three players. Kobe Bufkin is out due to a left thumb fracture and Mohamad Gueye is also sitting out because of a right low back stress fracture. Atlanta is coming off a 109-117 loss to the Miami Heat on 12 November.

They will, nevertheless, hope for a win against the Pistons, which will put them on par with the Milwaukee Bucks, India Pacers, and Miami Heat. Having just broken out of his cold streak, the absence of Young might spell trouble.

The Hawks’ Trae Young is unavailable for tonight

The only upside to Young’s absence is that it is not injury-related. “Ice Trae” is taking a break due to personal reasons, as tweeted by the Hawks’ official page. Young and his family are welcoming their second child to the world.

If we were to look at Trae’s injury history, it’s not a concerning list. The last time he was injured was on the 31st of October (Achilles). Before that, Young was sidelined due to a groin injury on April 4, 2023 – nearly 6 months prior. So on the injury side, he seems to be in good shape.

As mentioned previously, if the Hawks manage to win this time around, they can join the Bucks, Pacers, and Heat. Then again, it depends on Miami’s game. If they get one over the Hornets tonight, it will still keep them ahead of the Blackhawks. Meanwhile, for the Hawks, who will be taking Young’s place?

Who will take Young’s place vs Pistons?

The most likely candidate to take over Trae Young will be Dejounte Murray. The playcalling duties would have to be taken over by him as well. We might also see a shuffling of rotation – the starting lineup will need a new face. And it will be a toss between Bogdan Bogdanovic, AJ Griffin, and Saddiq Bey.

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The Detroit Pistons are also coming in with a few key players absent. Jalen Duren, Bojan Bogdanovic, Joe Harris, Isaiah Livers, and Monte Morris are all listed out for the Pistons. Missing several of their key contributors should make it easy for the Hawks to get one over Motown.

But the Pistons have their own agenda. They’ll be looking to end their nine-game losing streak when they host the Hawks. Even without so many players, their aggressive gameplay might put the Peach State at a crossroads. Even so, Trae is listed as questionable, so there might just be the slightest chance he will show up.

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What do you think? Will the Hawks vs Pistons matchup see Trae Young in the lineup?