Trae Young missed the Atlanta Hawks’ game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday due to right shoulder pain, but a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic on Sunday said that Young’s absence was caused by a verbal altercation with Hawks head coach Nate McMillan. Later that day, Young appeared to question the veracity of the earlier report on Twitter.
Waking up to public statements about my private life
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) December 5, 2022
According to the Charania report, the growing hostility between Trae Young and Nate McMillan may be a contributing factor to the Hawks’ erratic start to the season. Young’s absence from the game was only referred to by McMillan as a “miscommunication” earlier in the day before Charania’s account.
Young is prepared to return to the floor on Monday when the Oklahoma City Thunder visit and continued practicing with the squad on Sunday.
The Hawks are still 13-10 and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings despite any apparent problems. Young has only missed two games this season, both on Friday. He earlier missed the Hawks’ victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on November 7 due to right shin pain.
Young continues to lead the squad in scoring this season with 27.8 points per game and assists with 9.6 per game. However, his shooting has declined this year. He is shooting 41.1 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from three-point range, both career lows. Despite any alleged problems, the Hawks still possess the potential and capability to compete in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
