Trae Young injury update: Hawks guard (ankle) improved, could be back next week, report says

Kirstie Chiappelli

Trae Young injury update: Hawks guard (ankle) improved, could be back next week, report says image

Trae Young's right ankle injury showed enough improvement overnight that no MRI exam was necessary Wednesday, ESPN.com reported, citing unidentified sources.

He'll miss Thursday's home game against the Heat and will be re-evaluated next week, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.

The Hawks guard, who left Tuesday's road game against the Heat and didn't return, had X-rays on the ankle that were negative and the team was "optimistic" the injury wasn’t serious, ESPN reported earlier.

Young, 21, sprained his ankle in the second quarter and had to be helped off the court after scoring five points, two assists and two rebounds in 11 minutes.

He finished second to Luka Doncic in last season's Rookie of the Year race and is off to a great start in 2019. He was named the Eastern Conference's player of the week Monday after averaging 38.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 9.0 assists through Atlanta's first two games.

Young leads a Hawks team with an abundance of young talent, and his combination of playmaking and scoring is critical to the team's success.

The Hawks host the Heat at 7 p.m. ET Thursday.

Kirstie Chiappelli