The Atlanta Hawks may be preparing to take a peek at their future without Trae Young after his recent injury.
As one of the most disappointing teams in the Eastern Conference this season, there's a chance things will get tougher before they get better. With whispers growing that the Atlanta Hawks could end up trading Trae Young this offseason, something they'll have to figure out soon enough, they could end the season with a sneak peek at what the future could look like without their superstar.
that's why Young is expected to be out for at least a month After undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left hand. At this point, you have to imagine there's a good chance Young will miss the rest of the season. If so, I'd be shocked if the Hawks don't take advantage of this opportunity to take a closer look at rookie Kobe Bufkin.
Bufkin hasn't played much this season. In fact, he only appeared in five games and never totaled more than 25 minutes of real NBA action. If there's even a slight chance Young is traded during the offseason, the Hawks should almost be sold on Bufkin and the next month of the season could go a long way for Atlanta to figure that out.
Moving forward, assuming Young is out for at least a month, you can't help but wonder what this might mean for the team's playoff hopes. The Hawks have gone 2-3 in the only five games Young has missed this season, but considering he leads the team in scoring and assists, you have to imagine his absence will impact the team. Especially considering this is a push toward the postseason.
With less than 30 regular season games remaining in the league, the Hawks are 24-32 and 10th in the Eastern Conference standings. Even if Young misses the rest of the season, there is still a chance to hold on to the 10th seed in the East, considering they are three games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets and four games ahead of the Toronto Raptors.
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However, you can't like this team's chances either way. Even less if Young ends up missing the remainder of the season. But hey, at least the Hawks will get a look at what life could look like without Young, something they'll likely have to decide over the offseason.
