The Toronto Raptors are shocking many by stringing together a three-game winning streak to improve to 4-4 early into their 2025-26 campaign, and could be in position to win another game.
The Raptors are hitting the road to face the Atlanta Hawks in State Farm Arena, and lucky for a Toronto team that needs every win it can get, the Hawks are set to be short-handed.
The Hawks have ruled out four-time NBA All-Star point guard Trae Young ahead of Friday’s matchup, as he is set to miss his fourth consecutive game with a sprained MCL in his right knee.
Oct 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) dribbles against the Toronto Raptors in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
/ Brett Davis-Imagn Images
On top of ruling out Young against the Raptors, the Hawks have listed sharpshooter Luke Kennard as questionable with an illness, who is now in jeopardy of missing his first game of the season. The Hawks have also ruled out Nikola Djurisic with a right elbow sprain, along with two-way players Eli John Ndiaye and Jacob Toppin on G League assignment.
As for the Raptors, they luckily have no significant injuries to report. The Raptors have ruled out all three of their two-way players in Chucky Hepburn, AJ Lawson, and Alijah Martin, as well as Jonathan Mogbo on G League assignments.
Of course, the Hawks are a much different team with Young sidelined, but there is no guarantee that they are much worse without him. Including the game where Young suffered the MCL sprain that sidelined him after just seven minutes of action, the Hawks are 3-1 without their star point guard so far this season.
When the Hawks and Raptors met in their 2025-26 season opener, Young finished with 22 points and five assists on streaky 5-12 shooting from the field and 1-7 from three, posting a -14 plus/minus rating.
Sure, Young is very talented, but after shooting just 37.1 per cent from the field and 19.2 per cent from three-point range in his first five games of the season, the Hawks could legitimately be performing better without him.
Regardless of whether or not Young’s absence makes as much of an impact as many would assume, the Raptors cannot take this talented Hawks team lightly. With difference-makers like Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Kristaps Porzingis, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker still available, the Hawks can be a serious threat to the Raptors.
