Report: Hawks Forward Jalen Johnson Might be Nearing Return From Injury

Johnson has been out for a month with an injury

Some good news seems to be on the horizon for the Atlanta Hawks. 

Forward Jalen Johnson, who has been out for close to a month with an injury, might be nearing a return according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. He says that there is optimism that Johnson could return from the injury as soon as Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls. 

There’s optimism Atlanta Hawks F Jalen Johnson (left wrist) can return as soon as Tuesday vs. the Chicago Bulls, sources tell ESPN. Johnson — who’s been out a month — has averaged 14.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 15 games this season. pic.twitter.com/fP6PHLGxcc

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 23, 2023

Atlanta gave an encouraging update a couple of days ago: 

"Forward Jalen Johnson (left distal radius fracture on Nov. 25) has been cleared to return to full team practice. His status will be updated as appropriate."

Getting Johnson back is going to be huge for this team. Without him on the floor, the Hawks are 4-9 and 29th in defensive efficiency. 

Jalen Johnson might be nearing a return from his injury / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Let's take a look at Atlanta's numbers with Johnson on and off the floor.

Per Cleaning the Glass, Johnson ranks in the 92nd percentile in points per 100 possessions allowed when he is on the floor and the Hawks defense is 8.4 points better. He ranks even better when it comes to effective field goal percentage allowed, ranking in the 96th percentile. The Hawks are a struggling defense even with Johnson, but they are much worse without him and lose a lot of versatility. 

He is going to bring versatility back to the court that the Hawks can't get with anyone else on the roster. 

No. 1 is the Hawks's inability to match up with a lot of teams. Johnson gave them the ability to be versatile on defense, something that Saddiq Bey does not do. Johnson matched up well with bigger and more athletic forwards like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Evan Mobley, and he would have been a useful player to try and guard Victor Wembanyama when the Hawks played the Spurs earlier this year. Even if he did not guard Wembanayama, he would have been able to guard Zach Collins at center and allowed Clint Capela to guard the Spur's rookie forward. 

This is great news for the Hawks and hopefully, Jalen can make his return soon. 

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