The Atlanta Hawks beat the Indiana Pacers on the road 128 to 108 in their first game after Trae Young fell to a frightening knee injury in Wednesday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets. The team initially struggled against a Pacers team that’s also missing their star point guard, Tyrese Haliburton. The Hawks carried a four-point lead at the end of the half before pulling ahead with a 34-17 third quarter.
Jalen Johnson filled the role of lead scorer in lieu of Young, dropping 22 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, and a block on 9-16 from the field. He truly embodied the Trae Young role, leading the team in points and assists with questionable to straight-up disappointing defense. While his ability to replace Young’s offensive value as a creator was optimistic, the Hawks will struggle against better teams (the Pacers are now 0-5) if Johnson’s defense continues to disappoint.
Dyson Daniels had an excellent offensive outing to break out of a cold slump to start the season, scoring 18 points on 8-13 from the field, accompanied by 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. This was a much-needed bounce back to build confidence for the young Australian, who will see an increasingly involved offensive role if Young misses serious time with his injury.
Perhaps the biggest surprise from this game was the emergence of Keaton Wallace. After a rough offensive start to the season, Wallace showed why Quin Snyder believes in him with an impressive 11 points and 7 rebounds on 3-3 from deep and 4-5 from the field. If Wallace can continue to facilitate the way he did today, the Hawks will be in a much better position moving forward.
The all-around team effort to secure a win is encouraging if Young will miss significant time
While the game inspired confidence in the Trae-less squad, it ultimately served as another reminder that Young’s absence could cripple this team. After leaving the game on Wednesday, the Hawks said Young would receive an MRI the following morning after traveling back to Atlanta.
Despite this, no updates were given on Young either Thursday or Friday. The closest thing to an “update” was a terrifying Trae Young tweet, where the Atlanta star shared a Bible quote that indicates he could miss significant time.
If Young has indeed suffered a serious injury, the Hawks will need to find magic deep within their roster to keep them afloat. Today's second half performance was the first step to accomplishing this, but the team will need to show a more consistent performance going forward.