“Yeah, it’s not very, it’s not fun,” said Trae Young back in late October about the Atlanta Hawks’ early season injuries. One month later, concerns about ailments have continued to wreak havoc. This was the last thing that the franchise needed, especially since they currently hold a 7-11 record. Furthermore, it doesn’t help that the Hawks’ next opponents are the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are on a historical season run by having won 17 of their 18 matchups! This, combined with the fact that the Hawks don’t even have a home-court advantage, will have to force them to give out their best. Unfortunately, it will be hard to do so when the availability status of their key player is in doubt.

According to the Atlanta Hawks’ Injury Report highlighted by ESPN, Trae Young has now been listed under a ‘Day-To-Day’ status, with his availability being ‘Questionable’ for the upcoming matchup. If the situation couldn’t get worse for the franchise, Cody Zeller continues occupying his spot on the Report.

Unlike Young, however, there is no hope for his availability. After all, Zeller’s ‘personal reasons’ will keep him ‘OUT’ of the upcoming matchup. Seth Lundy, who is yet to play a regular-season game for the Hawks this season, will continue to be absent from the main lineup.

Trae Young was injury-ridden for the major part of the previous season. As a result, he only participated in 54 of his team’s 82 games. Any hope of avoiding a situation like that came to a pause after the 26-year-old sustained an ailment prior to the NBA Cup matchup between the Hawks and the Boston Celtics. The same was revealed to be a right Achilles tendinitis.

The injury caused Young to come under a bit of scrutiny. After the independent physician conducted an analysis, they declared him out of the Celtics-Hawks matchup. The same determined that the point guard was healthy enough to have participated in the NBA Cup game. Due to this, the NBA fined the Atlanta Hawks $100,000, citing a violation of the league’s player participation policy. Therefore, if the franchise chooses to keep Young out of the Cavaliers game too, then they would have a good reason behind it.

Moving our attention to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the franchise may definitely be feeling on top of the world right now. After all, they created franchise history after starting the season 15-0. Furthermore, the 2024-25 Cavaliers roster has become the fourth team to win 15 games in a row to start the season.

Despite this, going into the upcoming game, even this franchise has something to worry about. Both Dean Wade and Caris LeVert, who have missed out on the last three matchups, will remain ‘OUT’. Wade initially filled in as a starter for Max Strus this season and then shifted into a reserve role. However, his sprained ankle caused the team to make some changes.

Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson revealed a few days ago that Wade is “progressing nicely”. However, he gave no official update on when Wade will return. Along with the duo, Max Strus and Emoni Bates will continue being ‘OUT’, as they have for the entirety of the regular season.

With these injury challenges, both teams will need to adapt their starting lineups to navigate the matchup effectively.

What will the starting lineup and depth chart for the Cavaliers-Hawks clash look like?

After what transpired, the Atlanta Hawks would not bench Trae Young unless necessary. If the player does miss the upcoming matchup, however, there is a backup plan in place. According to CBS Sports, in Young’s absence, Kobe Bufkin and Vit Krejci can see their playing time increase.

Bufkin hasn’t been the recipient of much playing time this season. He has appeared in only 4 games and averaged 4.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 13.3 minutes per game. Therefore, additional time on the court would be welcome for him. Krejci has been in the same boat in terms of games and minutes. His averages after 7 games stand at 3.7 points, 1 rebound, and 1.3 assists. Together, the duo may not be able as much as Young, but can still have an effect.

Considering these updates, the Hawks’ starting lineup for the game might shape up as follows:

Similarly, looking at the updates for the Cleveland Cavaliers, analysts expect the franchise’s starting lineup to look something like this:

The Cleveland Cavaliers or the Atlanta Hawks? Who will you be rooting for during the upcoming matchup? Let us know in the comments down below.