Trae Young’s Absence vs. Nuggets Was Due to Spat with Hawks Coach, per Report

The Hawks star reportedly got into a shootaround dispute with Nate McMillan on Friday before a game against the Nuggets.

Star Hawks guard Trae Young missed Friday night’s home victory over the Nuggets due to a lingering right shoulder injury, but as it turns out, there’s more to the story than what was on the injury report.

According to a report from Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic, Young chose not to attend Friday night’s game after a disagreement during the afternoon shootaround with coach Nate McMillan.

Per the report, Young was receiving treatment on his right shoulder and was pressed by McMillan about whether he would participate in shootaround and play in the game against Denver. Young reportedly told McMillan that he wanted to focus on the treatment on his shoulder and skip shootaround before deciding about whether or not he would play later in the afternoon.

McMillan did not approve of Young’s plan, and provided his star with two options: Young could either play off the bench or not show up to the arena.

Young elected to not show up to the arena, and the Hawks ruled him out of the game with right shoulder soreness. When asked about Young’s absence on Sunday, McMillan told reporters that the point guard did not play on Friday due to a “miscommunication.”

Young returned to practice on Sunday and will start Monday night against the Thunder. 

The tension between McMillan and Young is reportedly nothing new, and has led to several team meetings already this season. Young was also reportedly at odds with former Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce before he was fired during the 2020-21 season.

The Hawks enter Monday night with a 13–10 record, good for fourth in the East.

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