NBA Rumors: Trae Young set to make a return in time for Play-In Tournament?

NBA Rumors: Trae Young reveals that he's set to make a return to the Atlanta Hawks in time for the NBA Play-In Tournament.

One matchup of the NBA Play-In Tournament is locked in as the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks will face off in one Tournament game with the winner getting the shot to qualify as the 8th seed and the loser going home. But as we inch closer and closer to the start of the NBA Play-In Tournament, there's a growing expectation that the Hawks are going to get a late-season shot in the arm.

Entering the final week of the regular season, there's a growing expectation that Young could make his return to the lineup after missing more than a month due to an hand injury.

Young has been out of action since late February due to ligament damage in one of his fingers. However, the hope is that he'll be able to return before the end of the season. In a recent interview, Young revealed that he hopes to make a return this week at some point before the start of the NBA Postseason.

Trae Young could give the Atlanta Hawks a puncher's chance in the NBA Play-In Tournament

If this timeline for Young does hold up, that means Young could play a game or two before the start of the NBA Play-In Tournament, which the Hawks have already punched their ticket for. With just four games in the regular season, the Hawks are either going to enter the Play-In Tournament as the 9th or 10 seed.

With the way it's formatted, the Hawks will have to win two games in order to qualify as the 8th seed heading into the NBA Playoffs. While that could prove to be a difficult task for the inconsistent Hawks, they'll have as good of a shot to do so as any other team in the Play-In Tournament if they're able to welcome the return of Young.

Before his injury, Young was averaging 26 points, 11 assists, and three rebounds per game on 43 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent shooting from 3-point range. Having an underrated season, the return of Young could catapult the Hawks into an unexpected run in the Play-In Tournament.

At the very least, the Hawks will have a puncher's shot to shake up the East playoff picture. And with the way the season has gone, Atlanta couldn't have asked for anything more than that.