The Hawks assigned guard Trae Young to the College Park Skyhawks, their G League franchise, on Tuesday as he progresses from his injury rehabilitation and prepares to return to the Hawks’ active roster.
The Hawks announced Saturday that Young had continued to increase his conditioning activities and that they expected him to return to practice this week.
They added that they would update his status as they deemed it appropriate.
Young sustained a right knee MCL sprain Oct. 29 in the Hawks’ matchup against the Nets. He has missed the past 22 games after appearing in the first four and in half the first quarter of the game in Brooklyn.
NBA teams typically assign players who have missed extended time to their G League franchises as a way to reacclimate. Most recently, the Lakers assigned LeBron James to their affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, after he missed the early part of the season because of sciatica.
Given that Young has not practiced since October, the team would use practice with the Skyhawks as a way to help him regain some conditioning before a full practice with the Hawks. It also gives Young a bit of a controlled environment to play five-on-five and get other live repetitions of new plays the Hawks might have run in his absence.
“It’s become more and more common,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “Years ago, when I was coaching in the G League, there’s always a little bit of a stigma attached to being assigned to get healthier, to get your timing for younger players to work on things. So I think it folds into a larger umbrella of something that’s really valuable to the Hawks.”
On the flip side, Young’s assignment to the Skyhawks gives their players some valuable reps against an experienced NBA player.
“I think as much as anything, I come up and watch practice, and a lot of things that they’re doing,” Snyder said. “We will experiment with some things, at times we learn from them. I think people don’t know that as much. So for those players too, to understand that it’s a multifaceted role that they play, and that’s another opportunity to kind of feel that.”
The Hawks have back-to-back games later this week before kicking off a five-game homestand. They face the Hornets in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday, before returning to State Farm Arena to host the Spurs.
While the Hawks have not given a firm date on Young’s return to play, his assignment to the Skyhawks puts him another step closer.
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