NBA Rumors: Trae Young Addresses COVID-19 Concerns

KEY POINTS

Young does not have the COVID-19 virus
Young has flu but not that overly serious
Young could use the break with the Hawks out of the playoffs

With the 2019 novel coronavirus spreading like crazy, alarms have raised across the globe. The cases of people affected by it are swelling and the NBA is not getting spared. In fact, NBA commissioner David Stern recently issued a memo that there is a possibility of games being played behind closed doors.

With the COVID-19 slowly getting out of hand, awareness about it has ramped up. Some are reasonable while others are a bit overblown. And one player who seems to have been included there is Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks. He was ruled out against the Washington Wizards due to flu-like symptoms. To prevent a panic, the Hawks said that Young's case is not that overly concerning.

Of course, there are some who would still question that and even claim that they are covering something up. To calm the storm, Young himself took to Twitter to ease the concerns and tension of NBA fans and media, saying that he is not that sick and for them to relax.

I ain’t THAT sick y’all... Relax lol
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) March 6, 2020

While it is understandable that the alarm has been raised, it would also be best not to jump to conclusions. There are people panicking, especially if it involved flu-like symptoms. There have been three confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the state of Georgia. The worldwide total has now seen over 100,000 cases and 3,400 deaths, the New York Times reported.

Also, Young sitting out could be a chance for head coach Lloyd Pierce to give other players a chance to show their stuff. The Hawks are out of the NBA playoffs and are just finishing their regular season assignments. They are 19-45 in the Eastern Conference and have 18 games left. The Hawks are expected to be a different team next NBA season, having added some key players like Clint Capela and Dewayne Dedmon recently.

Young deserves some rest too. He has been the only bright spot together with John Collins this season. The two young stars should get added help this summer, some coming from the NBA Draft and others from free agency. The Hawks do have other players in the mix like Cam Reddish, Kevin Huerter and De'Andre Hunter who could step up. As early as now, the Hawks already have a target in mind - make the NBA playoffs next season.