The Hawks star, Trae Young, suffered the injury in the first quarter of Wednesday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets after an accidental collision with teammate Mouhamed Gueye, who was pushed from behind by Nets rookie Noah Clowney and fell onto Young’s leg.

The Hawks star immediately returned to Atlanta for an MRI, which fortunately ruled out any serious structural damage. The medical staff will reevaluate his condition in four weeks, but his return is not expected until mid-to-late March.

Atlanta, which entered the season with high expectations after an active offseason (Porzingis, Alexander-Walker, and Kennard among the new faces), will now need to find a new offensive balance. Young, averaging 17.8 points and 7.8 assists per game, has always been the engine of the team’s offense and its primary playmaker.

Jalen Johnson, who has been off to a breakout start with 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game, emphasized how significant Young’s absence will be:

Trae is the best in the world at creating plays and scoring. Replacing him is impossible, but we can grow together as a team

Jalen Johnson

A month to stay in the playoff race

The Hawks will wrap up their four-game road trip on Sunday in Cleveland, but the focus has already shifted to how the team will respond. In an increasingly unpredictable Eastern Conference, even a few weeks without their All-Star could dramatically alter the course of the season.