The Atlanta Hawks have been dreadful this season, in part because of a youthful roster that makes mistakes and in part because of some disastrous injury and suspension issues. Their inability to get Trae Young, John Collins, and Kevin Huerter all on the court at the same time has been a considerable factor in their 7-27 start to the season, but hopefully that will all change soon.
Huerter has battled shoulder injury problems off and on all season, but has been playing (not particularly well, but playing) recently. Collins served a 25-game suspension for PED use that ended earlier this month, and as soon as he got back Trae Young went down with his second sprained ankle of the season.
The good news is it seems Young is able to bounce back quickly from these ankle injuries, as he is set to return to the Hawks lineup on Friday after missing just two games.
Trae Young will play against the Celtics tomorrow, per Lloyd Pierce. He has missed the last two games with a sprained right ankle.
— Ben Ladner (@bladner_) January 2, 2020
In his absence, the Hawks actually managed to snap a 10-game losing streak, but make no mistake this team desperately needs Young. He is the end all be all of their offense and is their lone All-Star on the roster. The hope in Atlanta is that, like last year, the second half of the season sees the Hawks go on a run as they get more comfortable together and start showing signs of growth. They did so a year ago, only to take a step back to start this season, but Friday against Boston will be the hopeful first step towards regaining that continuity and chemistry that made this young core so fun to watch towards the end of last season.
