Trae Young Out Four Weeks with Sprained MCL

Trae Young has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his right knee and will be sidelined at least four weeks after MRI and doctor reviews ruled out major structural or ACL damage; he will be re-evaluated in about four weeks. The injury occurred in Wednesday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets when a teammate fell into Young’s leg; he exited after seven minutes and returned to Atlanta for further testing. Young had been averaging roughly 20.8 points and 9.5 assists across four games before the injury, and his absence is expected to cost the Hawks their primary playmaker for about 15 games and could affect end-of-season award eligibility. Atlanta (3-3) will turn to Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels and other role players — with Luke Kennard, Keaton Wallace and Kristaps Porzingis available to contribute — to handle ballhandling and scoring. Early signs, including a strong recent outing by Daniels, offer cautious optimism that the Hawks’ depth can keep them competitive in a tougher upcoming stretch.