Jalen Johnson #1 of the Atlanta Hawks
Hawks Suffer Major Blow as Jalen Johnson Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery
The Atlanta Hawks will have to navigate the remainder of the season without one of their most impactful players, as forward Jalen Johnson is set to undergo surgery on his left shoulder. The team announced today that Johnson suffered the injury during last Thursday’s 122-119 loss to the Toronto Raptors. The injury occurred in the second quarter when Johnson fouled Scottie Barnes, forcing him to leave the court immediately. Entering that game, Johnson had already been managing right shoulder inflammation, further complicating his health status.
Johnson, now in his fourth NBA season, had been enjoying a breakout campaign, establishing himself as one of the Hawks’ premier talents. He was averaging career highs across the board with 18.9 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists per game, along with 1.6 steals while shooting 50% from the field and 31.2% from beyond the arc. His well-rounded contributions placed him in elite company, as one of only five players this season to average at least 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists per game—joining Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, Domantas Sabonis, and Alperen Sengun.
Atlanta has clearly felt Johnson’s absence when he is off the floor, as the team has been outscored by 8.5 points per 100 possessions in the 987 minutes he has not played this season. His impact had been so pronounced that the Hawks rewarded him before the 2024-25 season with a five-year, $150 million contract extension, solidifying him as a cornerstone of the franchise’s future.
Johnson, the 20th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Duke, had steadily improved each year. Last season marked his first major leap, with career highs in scoring (16.0 PPG), rebounding (8.7 RPG), assists (3.6 APG), steals (1.2 SPG), and blocks (0.8 BPG). Despite missing 14 games due to a wrist injury in December of 2023, he started 52 games—far surpassing the combined six starts he had in his first two seasons. His offensive production nearly tripled from his second season, where he averaged just 5.6 points per game.
The Hawks, currently holding a 22-25 record, have struggled without Johnson’s presence. They fell 100-96 to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night without him in the lineup. Atlanta sits at ninth place in the Eastern Conference, leading the Chicago Bulls by two games and the Philadelphia 76ers by three, as they aim to remain in the mix for the SoFi Play-In Tournament.
Johnson is considered one of the franchise’s core pieces alongside star point guard Trae Young, defensive ace and NBA steals leader Dyson Daniels, and rookie wing Zaccharie Risacher. However, the Hawks will now have to push forward without one of their most versatile and dynamic contributors as they battle for playoff positioning down the stretch.
