Quin Snyder Provides New Injury Update For Jalen Johnson

Johnson has missed four straight and five of the last six games for the Hawks
Jan 7, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA;  Atlanta Hawks coaches Quin Snyder watches his team from the sidelines against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images
Jan 7, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Atlanta Hawks coaches Quin Snyder watches his team from the sidelines against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images / Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson has missed four straight games (including tonight vs Phoenix) and five of the last six games. There has not been anything said about the seriousness of his injury and the Hawks have listed him out for right shoulder inflamamation. Ahead of tonight's game vs the Suns, Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder was asked about Johnson's progress and when he might be able to return:

"Yeah, he is progressing and we hope to have him back soon."

The Hawks travel to Chicago to face the Bulls tomorrow after taking on the Suns tonight. That will be the next opportunity for Johnson to play for the Hawks.

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 January and the 2025 calendar 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.

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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