With their latest loss at home, the Atlanta Hawks have now dropped six straight games. Since a signature win over the Boston Celtics on January 18, things have gone sideways for an injury-riddled Hawks squad.
Atlanta just announced that Jalen Johnson will miss the remainder of the regular season with a torn labrum. This shocking news represents the cherry on top of an injury sundae for the Hawks. During Atlanta’s six-game losing streak, almost every player in the rotation has missed at least one game for injury or illness.
After his team’s latest loss to the Houston Rockets, Trae Young sent a hopeful message to Hawks fans about the current six-game slump.
“I mean it’s tough, but it’s part of the NBA,” Young said. “You’ve gotta dig yourself out of the holes that you put yourself in, and sometimes teams just get put in holes and you’ve gotta figure out how to find your way out of it … We’re on a losing streak, and we’ve gotta figure out a way to get back on the winning side however it comes.”
Young believes this Hawks group can dig itself out of a hole, but it needs to happen fast. If Atlanta can’t get back on track before the All-Star break, the team could end up in danger of missing the playoffs again.
The Hawks were a top-six seed not long ago, but their six losses in a row have jeopardized their chances of avoiding the play-in tournament altogether. However, they are only 1.5 games back of the No. 6 seed right now.
Dyson Daniels also weighed in on Atlanta’s slump with some optimistic comments on the team’s resilience. In the face of injury-fueled adversity, the Hawks have continued to battle as much as possible.
“We can sit back and point fingers and blame each other, or we can go out there and fight,” Daniels said in his postgame presser. “Especially last night (against Minnesota), the guys were very undermanned and they went out and fought … Tonight, we came out and fought.
“We’ve just gotta keep doing this, keep fighting, and the table will turn. Obviously losing Jalen hurts us, but ‘next man up’ mentality … It’s a tough stretch right now, but the spirits are still high.”
Trae Young addressed his altercation with Dillon Brooks
Late in the battle, Young got into a heated altercation with Dillon Brooks that led to technical fouls on both players. After the game, Young revealed that the refs falsely claimed he had head-butted Brooks and took a not-so-subtle shot at the officiating.
“Nah. I didn’t get an explanation, they told our coaches that I head-butted (Brooks),” Young said. “That's so terrible. He's 6-foot-6, I can walk to a spot and my head’s gonna be at his chin. He knows what he's doing … The refs tonight, I'm trying to save my money. These refs are not worth my money, but we do need some new ones.”
Dillon Brooks and Trae Young received offsetting technical fouls on this play 👀 pic.twitter.com/7xh5kfJMqe
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 29, 2025
While Johnson’s season-ending injury will make it difficult for the Hawks to bounce back emphatically, Quin Snyder’s banged-up squad won’t go down without a fight. They will need to dig deeper than ever to keep themselves in contention for an automatic playoff berth.
Ice Trae certainly isn’t losing hope amid Atlanta’s struggles. The superstar point guard summed it up best in his presser.
“Whenever you’re fighting the way we’re fighting and we’re still giving ourselves a chance with everybody out there, it’s a good sign ... We’ll be alright. Trust me.”