The Celtics are on a quest to repeat their championship season, and the next on their list are the massive underdogs, the Atlanta Hawks. Of course, going up against the reigning champions with a long injury list is not ideal. But doing so without their star player, Trae Young – is not a position many would envy.

Yes, you read that right. For the Blackhawks’ NBA Cup clash against Boston, Young has been ruled out because of right Achilles tendinitis. But ‘Ice Trae’ isn’t the only one on the report. Bogdan Bogdanovic remains ‘Out’ with a right hamstring tendinopathy. Kobe Bufkin, too, is sidelined with a right shoulder subluxation.

Then there is Vit Krejci, who is diagnosed with a right adductor strain, and will miss a few more weeks, and De’Andre Hunter, for personal family reasons. Finally, Cody Zeller is cited as ‘Out’, and the reason: Not with the team.

Lauren Williams of Atlanta Journal-Constitution, had tweeted the most latest update, “No Trae Young tomorrow night at Boston.”

‘Ice Trae’ suited up for each of the 11 games that Atlanta played until a right rib sprain during their 93-123 loss to the Celtics on November 4 saw him leave the floor early. Of course, he was available for the next two games, but the fact of the matter was that the team has been relying heavily on Trae Young in the absence of key rotational players. Bufkin, who is yet to make his season debut, and Krejci, who missed the last 7 games, were both primary ball handlers for the team.

In their absence, and when Trae Young goes to the bench, the ‘Peach State’ has turned to Keaton Wallace for help. While the 25-year-old has been able to chip in some solid minutes here and there, he just hasn’t kept up the steady production the team’s looking for. It would have helped had they at least had Bogdanovic in. He has often given them a strong performance as a secondary ball handler.

With so many key players missing, the Hawks are facing an uphill battle, especially without Trae Young, whose absence because of right Achilles tendinitis could impact the team’s offense significantly. But what exactly is Achilles tendinitis?

Achilles tendinitis: The injury sidelining Trae Young from the NBA Cup season opener

So, what exactly is this injury? Achilles is a term that’s widely used in the sports field. As such, why would this particular one require attention? For starters, Achilles injuries come in various forms, each differing in terms of recovery time, diagnosis, and treatment requirements. To our point, we will be focusing on Achilles tendinitis.

According to Jesse Morse MD, Board Certified Family & Sports Medicine physician, “Tendinitis is the inflammation of a tendon. Tendinitis is usually acute, wreaks havoc for a couple weeks then hopefully dissipates. This causes pain and swelling that can wax and wane.”

“Tendinitis does not involve the organization of the tendon fibers themselves, instead there is swelling and inflammation around the fibers. This can be easily identified on an ultrasound, which for some tissues is more sensitive than an MRI. X-rays and CT scans don’t do a good job of identifying muscles, tendons or ligaments.”

Tough to understand?

Don’t worry! Got your back.

Tendinitis happens when a tendon, the tissue connecting muscles to bones, becomes inflamed. It’s usually a short-term injury that causes pain and swelling, which can come and go for a few weeks. During this time, the tendon itself stays mostly the same inside, but the surrounding area gets swollen and irritated.

To check for tendinitis, doctors often use an ultrasound, which can be really good at spotting this type of injury. Ultrasound is actually better for tendons than X-rays or CT scans, which mostly show bones and don’t give a clear view of softer tissues like muscles and tendons.

With proper rest and treatment, Achilles tendinitis usually improves over time. But Trae Young’s recovery will be essential for the Atlanta Hawks to stay competitive this season. Unless someone on the team turns out to be the X factor.