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Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young said following Sunday’s Game 3 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals that his sprained right ankle was bothering him.
Despite scoring 35 points in the loss, it was clear in the fourth quarter (three points) that Young was not 100%. He talked about this afterwards.
“It’s sore right now. It’s hurting, it’s frustrating. It’s hurting a little bit and it’s sore,” Young told reporters Sunday evening.
We now have some more information on Young’s right foot after an MRI on Monday. It’s not great for a Hawks team facing a 2-1 series deficit heading into Game 4 on Tuesday. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, said MRI confirmed that Trae Young is dealing with a bone bruise in his right foot and is questionable to go in Game 4.
Given that Young relies on his quickness to get open looks outside and drive to the line, this can’t be seen as great news. Bone bruises are tricky propositions in that they have a way of lingering and can impact mobility.
Impact of the Trae Young injury
Heading into Game 4 on Tuesday, Young is in the midst of a historical playoff run in his initial postseason action. He’s averaging 29.8 points and 9.5 assists on 43% shooting from the field. To put this into perspective, John Collins is the Hawks’ second-leading scorer at 14.3 points per.
Needless to say, a limited Young would impact Atlanta’s ability to come back from a 2-1 series deficit against Milwaukee after Khris Middleton helped the Bucks take said advantage with a 20-point fourth quarter Sunday evening. If Young is out for Game 4, it’s hard to imaging the Hawks having much of a chance here.