Is Trae Young playing tonight against the Orlando Magic? Latest on Hawks superstar's status (Feb. 20)
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young is available to play after being listed as probable for Thursday's game (Feb. 20) against the Orlando Magic. The three-time All-Star status is due to a right Achilles tendinitis, per the Hawks' official injury report.
Trae Young will play against the Magic, after the Hawks staff upgraded his staus to availableare. Although Young has been dealing with this issue for some time, it hasn't slowed him down much this season.
Young has had his fair share of injuries this season. According to Spotrac, he has missed four games due to injuries to his hamstring (Jan. 27), ribs (Jan. 15), heel (Dec. 21) and Achilles (Nov. 12).
Despite battling injuries, Trae Young has been a bright spot for the Atlanta Hawks, who sit at 29-29 on the season. Young is averaging 23.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 11.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game, helping the Hawks hold onto the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Hawks have a few other players dealing with injuries. Kobe Bufkin (out - right shoulder surgery), Jalen Johnson (out - left shoulder surgery), Vit Krejci (out - lumbar fracture), Daeqwon Plowden (questionable - G League two-way) and Larry Nance Jr. (out - right medial femoral condyle fracture).
Trae Young critiques new 2025 NBA All-Star game format
Trae Young was among those who spoke out against the new All-Star game format. The new format has received mixed reviews in its debut, as some players and fans have expressed their frustration, especially with the numerous breaks and disruptions.
"To be honest, I did not like it at all. I don't like the breaks, the games are so short. I feel like they are trying to extend the game or extend the TV time with the breaks and things like that and as a player, I mean you are trying to stay warm and things like that and it is kind of tough to do that I mean we have a 7'5 guy coming off the bench there for the first time in his life and sitting 20 minutes is not easy for him and it was tough for me so I can understand how they fell. I don't necessarily know how I feel about that"
Despite his reservations, Young had a strong showing in the first game. He scored four points and dished out a game-high five assists as Team Chuck's Global Stars defeated Team Kenny's Young Stars.
The All-Stars game ended with Team Shaq's OGs emerging victorious in the final. They defeated Team Chuck 41-25 as Steph Curry, who won the All-Stars' MVP, and Jayson Tatum combined for 27 points.