High-scoring Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young needs surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left hand — an injury that could shake up the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Young is expected to miss at least four weeks after an MRI revealed the injury to the radial collateral ligament in his left pinky finger, the team announced Sunday. His surgery is set to take place Tuesday.
The 25-year-old point guard suffered the injury during Friday’s 123-121 loss to the Toronto Raptors in Atlanta.
Young leads the Hawks by averaging 26.4 points and 10.8 assists per game. Only the Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton averages more assists per game (11.7) than Young.
A prolonged absence for Young could serve as a significant blow to a Hawks team that, despite its 24-32 record, is clinging to the East’s 10th seed, which represents the final spot in the play-in tournament.
The 11th-seeded Nets (21-35) are three games behind the Hawks for that coveted spot, while the Raptors (21-36) trail Atlanta by 3.5 games. The Nets get a quick crack at cutting into that deficit this week, as they’re scheduled to host back-to-back games against Atlanta on Thursday and Saturday.
Originally a first-round pick in 2018, the 6-1 Young earned his third All-Star selection this year.
With Young out of the lineup, shooting guard Dejounte Murray is expected to slide over and operate at point guard, which was his primary position with the San Antonio Spurs from 2016-22. Murray averaged 9.2 assists per game in 2021-22, which was his final season with San Antonio.
Murray is the Hawks’ second-leading scorer at 21.5 points per game. His 5.4 assists per game also rank second on the team.
Young emerged as a villain to Knicks fans when he averaged 29.2 points per game during a first-round series victory in the 2021 playoffs. He led the Hawks on an improbable run to the Eastern Conference Finals that year.
Young also starred in a back-and-forth overtime battle with the Nets in November, scoring 43 points in the Hawks’ 147-145 win. Mikal Bridges scored 45 points for Brooklyn that night in Atlanta.
