Today, the Atlanta Hawks announced starting forward Jalen Johnson will miss at least one week of action. According to their team injury update, Johnson suffered a right ankle injury that forced him to leave Monday’s 105-136 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Atlanta Hawks Starter Out for At Least One Week
Jalen Johnson’s Season
In his third season, Johnson has made a massive jump. On the season, the Duke alum has appeared in 51 games, starting a career-high 48 of them. In those games, Johnson is averaging 16.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. Furthermore, he is shooting 51.3% from the field and 35.3% from behind the line. This season, Johnson has stepped up and has provided a major boost to the Hawks. His most notable moment of the season came against the aforementioned loss to the Lakers, when he posterized Lakers wing Austin Reaves.
JALEN JOHNSON WITH HIS ENTRY FOR DUNK OF THE YEAR OVER AUSTIN REAVES 🤯pic.twitter.com/00WI542kVu
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 19, 2024
Why the Hawks Will Miss Jalen Johnson
Unfortunately for the Hawks, Johnson is not the only player on their injury report. Additionally, start point guard Trae Young has not appeared in a game since February 23. However, he is expected to return before the end of the season. Furthermore, earlier in March, the Hawks announced wing Saddiq Bey would miss the remainder of the season. Plus, as mentioned in their injury update, Kobe Bufkin and AJ Griffin are expected to remain sidelined for the near future. Losing Johnson, who has been a valuable piece to the Hawks this season, is a big blow for the team as is. Factoring in losing more depth and a top scorer on the team is especially rough for a team still in the Play-In hunt.
Currently, the Hawks have a 30-38 record. As it stands, they own the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference, the last Play-In spot. They are 4.5 games ahead of the No. 11 seed Brooklyn Nets. However, the Hawks have yet to officially clinch a Play-In spot. Additionally, Atlanta has the ninth-toughest remaining schedule in the league. With Johnson being out at least one week, the team loses a lot of explosiveness and offensive firepower with just a month left in the season.
22yo Jalen Johnson will be a multi-time All-Star…
6’9, 7’0 wingspan. Tape has it all: explosive & brutal athlete—crumples skinny & blows by slow defenders. Ball-handling/passing chops, blossoming shooting touch & coordinated body control, effective on/off ball. Elite Power-Wing pic.twitter.com/j7OTvZMlDQ
— NBA University (@NBA_University) March 19, 2024
How Atlanta Can Proceed Without Jalen Johnson
In Johnson’s absence, the Hawks may insert De’Andre Hunter back into the starting lineup. Hunter has been one of the team’s best scorers this season and has played impressive for their second unit. The 26-year-old is a good short-term replacement for Johnson as he is also a great shooter who can provide an offensive boost. Additionally, the team will likely rely more heavily on Bogdan Bogdanovic, a 16.5 point-per-game scorer this season.
With roughly a month left in the regular season, the Hawks are holding on to their Play-In spot. Johnson’s absence will hurt, but it does seem like he should make a return before the season is over.
