Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young has missed a significant amount of time since the 2025-26 NBA season started. Young has only played five games for the Hawks this season and has been out of the lineup since Oct. 31 due to a sprained MCL. However, ESPN’s Shams Charania provided a positive update on the team’s starting point guard on Thursday.
According to the league insider, Young will return to the lineup tonight against the Charlotte Hornets. While they’ve missed the four-time All-Star, the Hawks have managed to be somewhat competitive. They are seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 15-12 record.
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In the five games that Trae Young has appeared in, he’s put up 17.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 7.8 assists. He’s struggled to find his rhythm on the floor and has logged the lowest numbers of his career. The former Oklahoma star averaged 19.1 ppg during his rookie season.
During his time away from the team, it has given Nickeil Alexander-Walker a time to shine. He’s been assigned as a starter for 22 games. Alexander-Walker has averaged 20.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 3.4 apg for Atlanta. It’s the first time that NAW has averaged at least 20 ppg.
Is Trae Young on Minutes Restriction Against Hornets?
Incorporating Trae Young back into the lineup won’t be an easy task for coach Quin Snyder and the Hawks. The team’s young core, led by Jalen Johnson, has done an outstanding job staying competitive.
So far, the team has not addressed their approach with Young’s minutes. There hasn’t been a defined answer to his potential minutes restriction. Since he’s coming from a long absence, however, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him with manageable minutes.
Young stated that he wants the rest of the team to continue doing what has been successful for them after the team had a complete session on Wednesday. He expressed to the media his desire to let his teammates continue to do well.
“Obviously, being out, I see certain things that our team is doing really well, and I want to keep allowing our team to do them and make sure the team is doing those things,” Young said. “But then there are times, obviously, where we’re struggling, or there are times when it looks kind of tough on some of the guys, and I just want to make it easier.”
“Since Day 1, I’ve always felt like I was a puzzle piece to a big puzzle. I’ve never felt like I was the whole puzzle,” he continued. “So I’m about to come back and do the same thing and just be another puzzle piece, try to fit in, and make all these things work.”
After a protracted layoff, fans are excited to see Trae Young again.
Edited by Reign Amurao
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