Hawks' Trae Young says he feels better after late
ATLANTA (AP) — A healthy Trae Young gives the Atlanta Hawks’ their best hope for overcoming season-long injury woes and advancing past the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
Young hopes he can provide his normal production after playing three games at the end of the regular season. His minutes were restricted after missing 23 games with a torn ligament in his left pinkie, but he said he hopes to have his normal minutes in Wednesday night’s game at Chicago.
Young’s return wasn’t enough to prevent the Hawks from entering the play-in tournament with a six-game losing streak. He averaged 25.7 points in the regular season, but was limited to 14, 19 and 12 points in his three-game warmup for the play-in tournament.
“I feel a lot better,” Young said after Monday’s practice, adding he gained confidence from seeing his playing time rise to 32 minutes in an ugly 157-115 loss at Indiana to close the regular season. Young had 12 points and 11 assists in the loss.