Hawks' Trae Young starts, dishes 10 assists in return after missing 22 games

Ilian Ivanov Basketball

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Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young returned to the lineup in Thursday’s 133-126 loss to the Charlotte Hornets after being sidelined with a sprained right MCL since Oct. 29. The team announced he’d be playing earlier Thursday.

He finished the game with eight points and 10 assists in 20 minutes, shooting 0-for-5 from 3-point range and just 3-for-8 overall.

The All-Star guard averaged 17.8 points and 7.8 assists over the first five games of the season before he suffered the injury to his right knee.

The Hawks (15-12) have posted a 13-9 record without Young, who is a four-time All-Star and won the league’s assist title for the first time last season.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report. 

Kia Rookie Ladder: Cooper Flagg leads way as lower rungs swap spots

Ilian Ivanov Basketball

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Some day, and it might come sooner than we think, people will look at the NBA careers of Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel and wonder how a Duke team that had both of them stalled out in a 70-67 loss to Houston in the NCAA semifinal game at San Antonio last April.

It’s kind of hard to believe already, with the two Blue Devils ranked No. 1-2 yet again on the Kia Rookie Ladder. For the record, while Flagg (27) and Knueppel (16) combined for 43 points, the other eight Duke players totaled just 24.

But that has no bearing on the rookie seasons Flagg and Knueppel are having at the pro level. They rank first and second, respectively, in scoring and shots taken, and second and third in average minutes. Based on the first quarter or so of the NBA season, they figure to finish high in Rookie of the Year balloting and claim two of the five spots on the All-Rookie first team honor squad.

Here, in a short week due to Emirates NBA Cup scheduling, is the latest ranking of the NBA’s top rookies: