After a Strong December, the Atlanta Hawks Are Off To A Slow Start In January Without Jalen Johnson

If Jalen Johnson continues to miss time, will the Hawks find a way to win games?
Dec 26, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) dunks against the Chicago Bulls in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Dec 26, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) dunks against the Chicago Bulls in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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The Atlanta Hawks had one of the best month's of December in the NBA. The team went 8-4 and made a run to the NBA Cup Semifinals before losing in a tight game vs the Milwaukee Bucks. Atlanta was right in the thick of the Eastern Conference race to get into the top six and had marquee wins against some of the league's best teams.

January has not been as kind to the Hawks and while it might seem simplistic to boil it down to one reason, the absence of Jalen Johnson has been the reason the Hawks have started the month of Janaury and the 2025 calandar year 1-4. When the Hawks started their six game road trip at the end of December, they began it with a blowout win over the Toronto Raptors and Johnson was solid in that game, scoring 15 points. The Hawks went to Denver on New Year's Day and that was the first game that Johnson missed during this current absence and it was noticeable.

The Hawks were blown out by the Nuggets and then Johnson came back, but his presence did not make a difference in a loss to the Lakers. That was the last time that Johnson played a game for the Hawks. Since then, Atlanta has been blown out by the Clippers, survived against Utah thanks to a Trae Young halfcourt buzzer-beater, and then lost to the Suns. The Hawks have gone from 18-15 to 19-19 over this stretch.

Hawks forward Jalen Johnso
Jan 3, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

It is hard to overstate how much he means to the team. Johnson is a terrific rebounder and helps with rim protection, a good on-ball defender, and is the Hawks' second-best offensive creator. He is making a legitimate case to be an All-Star this season with the numbers that he is putting up. He is averaging 19.8 PPG, 10.1 RPG, and 5.3 APG on 51% shooting from the field and 33% from three. He also has an effective field goal percentage of 56% and a true shooting percentage of 58%.

Atlanta does not have a replacement for Johnson when he is gone and that is one of the biggest holes on the team. Not only do they not have a real backup power forward behind him, one of the Hawks's other weaknesses is that they don't have a reliable backup point guard. When Johnson is out of the lineup, Atlanta loses their best frontcourt player, and one of their best ball handlers as well. He has the highest plus/minus (+2.4) on the team for a reason.

When will he return to the lineup? That is still to be determined. There has been no update for when Johnson is going to be back and he was slated to miss yesterday's game vs Houston before it was postponed. Atlanta's next game is Tuesday night at home vs Phoenix, but then it is back on the road for the Hawks for another stretch of tough road games. Atlanta will travel to Chicago, Boston, and New York for three straight road games and if Johnson does not play, the Hawks will be underdogs against Chicago and heavy (emphasis on the word heavy) underdogs vs the Celtics and the Knicks. His return can't come soon enough for an Atlanta team that looked poised to break into the top six in the Eastern conference. Keep an eye on his status this week and for any updates on one of the best young stars in the NBA.

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Jackson Caudell
JACKSON CAUDELL

Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell