Hawks' Trae Young: Cleared to return Thursday

Young (knee) will play in Thursday's game against the Hornets, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

After an MCL sprain kept him sidelined since late October, Young is set to make his long-awaited return to the floor Thursday. The Hawks will closely monitor the superstar guard's playing time after he spent so much time on the shelf,, per Sam Perley of the Hornets' official site, but the expectation is that Nickeil Alexander-Walker is heading to the bench. Through his first five appearances, Young averaged 17.8 points, 7.8 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 0.8 steals in 27.8 minutes per game.