Hawks’ Trae Young feels ‘fine’ after injury return, but won’t play vs. Spurs

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Hawks’ Trae Young feels ‘fine’ after injury return, but won’t play vs. Spurs

Malik Brown, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Fri, Dec 19, 2025 ·

3 min read

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Hawks' Trae Young feels 'fine' after injury return, but won't play vs. Spurs appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

The Atlanta Hawks fell short against the Charlotte Hornets in their latest game, but the good news is that they were able to get Trae Young back after missing time with a right MCL sprain. Young returned to the starting lineup, but was on a minutes restriction. He finished the game with eight points and 10 assists in 20 minutes.

The Hawks are now on the second game of a back-to-back as they're set to face the San Antonio Spurs at home, and many were wondering if Young would play. He's already been listed as out for right knee injury management, but there should be no concerns moving forward after he spoke with reporters following their game against the Hornets.

"I feel fine, it's not going to take me very long to be where I need to be. I think it was a good first step," Young said.

This was the first time in Young's career that he had to rehab for a knee injury. The last time he missed extended time in the year was two seasons ago for his hand, but when he came back, he wasn't on a minutes restriction.

"Obviously, you want to give as much as you can for those minutes you're out there, but you also don't want to press it," Young said. "It's a fine line you have to be on. It's easier said than done, and people probably expect different things, but it's not an easy thing. Especially this being my first one, especially coming back in the regular season. I came back with no minute restriction in my last one, and I was out for a while because it was going into the play-in/playoffs. This is a little bit different, and I just have to trust them.

"Whether I like it or not, I just have to trust them and allow the people that helped me through the rehab process to continue to do that."

Trae Young returns to lineup after MCL injury

Young was not able to give his all since he was on a minute restriction, but he fit in where he could with the time that he had. The Hawks have been passing the ball at a high rate this season, and Young just added on to that play with his 10 assists.

Not being on the court and playing in a real game for some will definitely have you short-winded early, and Young noted that it's not easy shaking off the rust after coming back.

"The main part is the conditioning. Not having the leeway to give more than you can is not easy, but it's the first one," Young said.

"It's going to be a process for us and everybody to get acclimated for Trae to continue to get in shape," head coach Quin Snyder said. "All the different things are required when you put a group together. It's good to have a first step in the process to be able to look at it and continue to find ways to be better as a group."

As the season continues, Young will be able to get back to his normal self, but it's uncertain how long that process will take.

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