Jalen Johnson Faces Major Questions Heading Into Game Three vs Knicks

Johnson has not performed up to his lofty standards so far in the postseason and he faces some questions heading into Thursday's pivotal game

Apr 18, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) reacts after being called for a foul during the second half of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Tomorrow is one of the most pivotal games in recent memory for the Atlanta Hawks. This team has not been in the playoffs since 2023 and in both that postseason and the 2022 postseason, they were major underdogs and not given much of a chance to beat either the Celtics (2023) or the Heat (2022). After splitting with the New York Knicks in the first two games of this series, the Hawks could swing things in a major way with a win tomorrow night and take control of the series while maintaining home court.

But to do that, I think they are going to need better play from their young star forward.

Jalen Johnson has seen incredible growth for the Hawks since being drafted 21st overall in 2021 and should be an All-NBA selection when the voting is revealed. He was a first time All-Star this season and has had a fantastic season and his future is incredibly bright.

Those things can be true while also admitting that his first two games in this postseason have been very underwhelming and the Hawks are going to need him to step up going forward if they actually want to knock off the Knicks and advance to the next round.

Rocky Start

Apr 20, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) during the fourth quarter of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The first two games of this series have not been kind to Johnson, but he his struggles with the Knicks can be traced back to their last regular season matchup that Atlanta lost by three points.

Johnson finished that game 8-19 from the field, scoring 21 points, totaling 11 rebounds and 5 assists. In game one, Johnson also shot 8-19 and scored 23 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. He finished game two with 17 points on 6-12 shooting and also gathering in 8 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists.

The counting stats are fine, especially the points, but if you watch the game, you can tell how little of an impact that Johnson has had one the game. The stat that stands out is that Johnson has not had more than 5 assists in any of the last three games against the Knicks after being one of the league leaders in assists during the regular season.

This is Johnson's first experience in the playoffs where he is the No. 1 option so he deserves a little bit of grace, but I do think it is fair to say that if Johnson does not play better that the Hawks are not going to win this series. With the playoffs comes added pressure and Johnson is experiencing this for the first time and he is doing so against an elite opponent with multiple defenders that can matchup with him.

After practice on Wednesday, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder talked about how the Knicks are defending Johnson and his impact on games even when not playing well:

"Yeah, you know, he's, the thing about Jalen is he can impact winning in lots of ways. And, you know, he's doing things for other people. I think his gravity is real. You know, there's, you know, we want to keep finding ways to get out and transition. Obviously, that's something, you know, he's elite in those situations. You know, and they've done a good job trying to take that away, so. We'll keep trying to do that, whether it's passing the ball ahead or pushing it, spacing.

But I think part of it is a compliment to Jalen that he's the focal point of what they're doing. I think he's done a really good job, as you mentioned, kind of adjusting throughout the game as far as how they're guarding him, how they're taking away certain actions, and what he can do to combat that. That's happening, and that's the nature of a playoff series."

I fully expect Johnson to bounce back and he certainly can do so, but there are questions that he is facing for the first time in his career and that is the nature of being the No. 1 option on a playoff team. How will he respond against the Knicks tonight?