Is Trae Young playing tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers? Latest on two-time All-Star's availability (Jan. 10)

Trae Young is listed as probable on the Atlanta Hawks injury report. He will likely face the Philadelphia 76ers when they visit Atlanta on Wednesday, January 10. Young has been dealing with right shoulder soreness, although he hasn't missed a game since December 8. Furthermore, he has only missed two games all season.

Atlanta has its fair share of injury issues, though. Mouhamed Gueye, De'Andre Hunter, Vit Krejci, and Garrison Mathews will all miss the game against Philadelphia due to injury. Clint Capela and Wesley Matthews are both listed as questionable heading into the day.

Still, the Hawks will have the significant boost of facing a Sixers team that is missing Joel Embiid. The 2023 league MVP is absent with left knee swelling. Young could also avoid a matchup with De'Anthony Melton, who is listed as questionable due to spine soreness.

Trae Young has been exceptional this season. In 33 games, he's averaging 27.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 11.0 assists, shooting 43.2% from the field and 36.5% from 3-point range. His high-level shot-making and ability to carve open defenses with his passing have ensured Quin Snyder's team has been tough to slow down in the half-court.

However, Young's talent and performances haven't correlated into a strong season for the Hawks. They're currently 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 14-21 record, two spots outside of the play-in tournament qualification positions.

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Trae Young could have a new backcourt partner in the coming months

Ahead of the 2022-23 season, the Atlanta Hawks acquired Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs. Murray is a talented perimeter defender who excels at the point-of-attack.

The idea was that pairing Murray with Trae Young would bring the best out of both guards and would create a solid guard duo that could dominate in the Eastern Conference.

However, things haven't gone to plan. According to a report by Shams Charania via FanDuel TV's "Run It Back," the Hawks could be willing to move on from Murray before the February 8 trade deadline. Charania even noted how the Spurs have been rumored to hold interest in reuniting with their former guard.

The pairing of Dejounte Murray and Trae Young has been effective. However, both guards are at their best with the ball in their hands. Murray may have been acquired for his defensive upside, but he's also a valuable ball-handler and offensive option. As such, the fit alongside the ball-dominant Young hasn't been as smooth as first envisioned.

Still, if the Hawks do move on from Murray and cut short the guard experiment, they will need to find a new backcourt partner for Young. Whether they can find a guard to help improve their perimeter defense in the middle of the season remains to be seen. However, it's more likely the Hawks will have to wait until the summer to give Young a new backcourt partner.