Jalen Johnson’s breakout season is reportedly over. The Atlanta Hawks forward will have season-ending shoulder surgery, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Johnson, 23, suffered the shoulder injury during last Thursday’s game against the Toronto Raptors. In 36 appearances this season, he averaged 18.9 points 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 35.7 minutes, all of which are career highs. Johnson is in the mix for an All-Star spot; the reserves will be announced Thursday.
This is a massive blow for the Hawks, who are 22-25 on the season and ninth in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta has lost six straight games, including the game in which Johnson got hurt and the three games that followed.
With Johnson on the court this season, the Hawks have outscored opponents by 3.1 points per 100 possessions in non-garbage-time minutes. With him off the court, they have been outscored by 9.3 points per 100 possessions. That is the largest on/off differential on the team.
CBS Sports will have more on this story.
