According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, point guard Trae Young was forced to leave Team USA camp earlier today due to a minor eye infection. This injury is a blow to Team USA as he had reportedly been playing well before the incident. Young is expected to head back to Oklahoma where a specialist will look at it before he may return.
Trae Young Leaves Team USA Camp with Inured Eye
NBA Career Recap
Young was originally drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. However, he was immediately traded to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for the third overall pick Luka Doncic as well as a future pick. After struggling to begin his rookie season, Young began to pick up the slack and play at a high level. He averaged 19.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game on the season. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team for his efforts on the year as well as finishing second overall in the Rookie of the Year Voting.
High Expectations for Next Season
Young and the Hawks have very high expectations for the upcoming season where both sides look to improve immensely. The team made a plethora of moves during the offseason, starting with the drafting of Cam Reddish. During the free agency period, the team was able to sign quality free agents such as Jabari Parker and trade for players like Chandler Parsons and Allen Crabbe. While these moves don’t make Atlanta a contender just yet, the expectations are quite high this season. For any of this to happen, they will need Young at full health heading into the season.
While the severity of Young’s injury isn’t confirmed, early signs point to it just being a minor injury. This is a good sign as his promising NBA career is just beginning.
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