Hawks forward Jalen Johnson underwent an MRI on Wednesday that revealed a Grade 2 lateral ankle sprain. He’ll be reevaluated in about three weeks, Atlanta announced in a press release.
Johnson, 22, has had a breakout third season for the Hawks, averaging 16.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.2 SPG on .511/.355/.728 shooting in 56 games (33.7 MPG). He sustained the injury in Tuesday’s double-overtime loss to Miami.
The former first-round pick will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason. If no deal is reached, Johnson will hit restricted free agency in 2025.
The Hawks also provided an injury update on backup big man Onyeka Okongwu, who has been limited to just two games since the All-Star break due to a left big toe sprain. Okongwu underwent a non-surgical procedure in California on Tuesday in order to address ongoing inflammation in the toe, per the team. He’ll be reevaluated in approximately four weeks.
Okongwu, 23, has averaged 10.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 1.1 BPG on .611/.333/.793 shooting in 55 games in 2023/24 (25.5 MPG). He signed a four-year, $62MM rookie scale extension last offseason that begins in ’24/25.
The injuries are devastating for the Hawks, who just got Trae Young back from hand surgery on Wednesday but will now be missing three of their top frontcourt players entering the play-in tournament. Forward Saddiq Bey is also out for the season after suffering a torn ACL.
Atlanta is currently 36-44, the No. 10 seed in the East, and trail the No. 9 Bulls by 1.5 games with two games remaining in the regular season.
Forward De’Andre Hunter and center Bruno Fernando will likely receive extra playing time entering the postseason. Guard/forward Vit Krejci is also a candidate to be promoted from his two-way deal, but the Hawks have a full 15-man roster, so they’d have to waive someone in order to convert the former second-round pick.
Definitely promote Vit. Waive Wes Matthews Jr if we have to..
This off-season trade Trae to San Antonio for Keldon Johnson, SA’s 2029 1st (top5 protected) & our own 2025 & 2027 1sts…
Hope Sac makes the playoffs & draft 2 of these 4 guys, Terrence Shannon/Hansen Yang/Stephon Castle/Ja’Kobe Walter, with our pair of mid 1st rd draft picks…
Bring back Saddiq on a 2-3yr deal around $10M/yr at the most…
Use the savings from the Trae Young trade to get a vet pg in free agency like Tyus Jones (3yr) or Markelle Fultz (1yr)…
Ride w/ a starting 5 of Dejounte/Keldon/Dre/JJ/Clint. Markelle &/or Bufkin backing up the point. Bogdan back at 6th man with AJ hopefully bouncing back into the rotation. Though drafting TShannon would give us more flexibility as far as trading AJ or letting him develop in the G-League a lil more to start next season. Saddiq is a strong 3rd forward & Vit is proving to be a nice option behind him, especially for the price. Hopefully Mo Gueye tightens his game and is healthier next season but with 4 young/prime forwards ahead of him he’s gonna have to really show out to get pt unless the injuries pile up. Onyeka remains 1 of the best reserve bigs in the league. Bruno is a pretty good 3rd big too. But drafting & developing Hansen Yang would be a great way to use that Kevin Huerter pick imo.
That’s a dangerous team with growth potential, most of the team locked up long-term with team friendly contracts (similar to the Braves). Dejounte ain’t Acuna but he’ll be a strong All-NBA candidate. Him & Keldon would be a tough backcourt. Dre & Jalen can be 1 of the very best forward duos in the league, especially if Jalen tightens up & gains more confidence in that 3pt shot. And of course Clint continues to be 1 of the best rebounders & rim protectors in the world. Our defense could be elite with the right coaching. The depth is ridiculous. We have guys like Onyeka & Dre that are highly coveted by other teams that we could make available if necessary. Drafting Terrence Shannon would be a great way to add a lil scoring punch to a team that may need it from time to time
Excellent breakdown on the Hawks situation and some proposed ideas to get better. I enjoyed reading it.
forgotten to mention Garrison Matthews but he is def important as our designated shooter & like the vast majority of the team he’s currently in his prime
Sure the man can shoot it but there’s not enough in the rest of his game to keep him on the floor. I think he’s a spot player when you need a lift from outside.
Only reason he’s playing is the injuries. He’s def not gonna be a rotation guy to start next season. But he has played pretty well these past few weeks. His only plus skill is shooting but he’s obv a great shooter & he can get his shot off in many different ways. That being said, I forgot to mention him for a reason lol he’s like our 6th best wing. But his shooting has come in handy this season & could be important next yr with no Trae.