Jalen Johnson Injury Update Crushes Atlanta Hawks' Playoff Odds

Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson is out for the season with a shoulder injury, impacting the team's playoff odds.

Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson is out for the season with a shoulder injury, impacting the team's playoff odds. / Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks were dealt a massive blow on Wednesday, as ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Hawks forward Jalen Johnson will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a shoulder injury that has sidelined him recently.

Atlanta Hawks' Jalen Johnson will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a shoulder injury, sources tell ESPN. Johnson has averaged 19 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists for the Hawks this season.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 29, 2025

According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Johnson has a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Breaking: Atlanta Hawks young star Jalen Johnson has suffered a torn labrum in left shoulder and will miss rest of the season, league sources tell @ChrisBHaynes. #haynesbriefs https://t.co/AixmhuvbwY pic.twitter.com/mvBoPm2tBL

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 29, 2025

This season, Johnson was really coming into his own as a star for the Hawks. The former first-round pick finishes his season averaging 18.9 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 31.2 percent from 3. Prior to the start of the season, Johnson agreed to a five-year, $150 million extension with Atlanta.

Atlanta Hawks Playoffs Odds

The Hawks are currently the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference, and they've lost six games in a row. Despite that, Atlanta is still set at -122 odds (an implied probability of 54.95 percent) to make the playoffs at FanDuel Sportsbook.

However, with Johnson out for the season, oddsmakers think that the way the Hawks will have to make the playoffs is by way of the NBA's play-in tournament. FanDuel now has Atlanta set at -550 to participate in the play-in (an implied probability of 84.62 percent).

With Johnson out, the Hawks will likely lean on De'Andre Hunter, Zaccharie Risacher and Bogdan Bogdanovic as their primary options on the wing.

After losing to the Houston Rockets on Monday night, Atlanta has a 22-25 record this season, and it is just 4-6 in the 10 games that Johnson had missed prior to being ruled out for the year.

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