Hawks’ Quin Snyder says quiet part out loud about working Trae Young back into lineup

Trae Young has returned to the floor for the Atlanta Hawks after missing over a month as he recovered from a right MCL sprain. In his first game back, Young finished with eight points and 10 assists, and played only 20 minutes. That may be the story for Young’s minutes for the next couple of games as the Hawks try to integrate him back into the lineup, while also making sure not to push him too much after missing so much time.

Young missed the second game of a back-to-back against the San Antonio Spurs, but was available two days later against the Chicago Bulls. Before that game, head coach Quin Snyder was asked about the challenges that came with Young coming back into the lineup.

“There is a real acclimation process that we just have to continue to work on, to know that it’s going to take some time,” Snyder said. “That doesn’t mean you don’t have urgency when pushing that forward.”

Quin on the challenges bringing Trae back into the lineup:

“There is a real acclimation process that we just have to continue to work on, to know that it’s going to take some time.

“No matter how connected you are when you play a certain stretch of games, teams evolve. And now… pic.twitter.com/TYTTda26sh

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“No matter how connected you are when you play a certain stretch of games, teams evolve. And now we have to evolve again.”

Though Young could be an easy plug-in for the Hawks, they’ve also integrated more plays since he’s been out. He also has not practiced much with the team, which also matters a lot when trying to insert him back into the lineup.

Trae Young working his way back from injury

After his first game back, Young noted that he felt fine and it was a good first step for him getting back on the floor.

“Obviously, you want to give as much as you can for those minutes you’re out there, but you also don’t want to press it,” Young said. “It’s a fine line you have to be on. It’s easier said than done, and people probably expect different things, but it’s not an easy thing. Especially this being my first one, especially coming back in the regular season. I came back with no minute restriction in my last one, and I was out for a while because it was going into the play-in/playoffs. This is a little bit different, and I just have to trust them.

“Whether I like it or not, I just have to trust them and allow the people that helped me through the rehab process to continue to do that.”

The more Young plays, the more he should be able to fit into what the Hawks have been able to do while he was gone.

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