Atlanta Hawks: 3 secret x-factors to help fuel a huge playoff upset

Jalen Johnson

There might not be a player that Hawks fans are more excited about moving forward than 2nd-year player Jalen Johnson. He is athletic, has strong playmaking ability, a 7-foot wingspan, is a menace in transition, and has shown strong defensive abilities as well.

While Johnson’s season-long counting numbers won’t blow you away (5.6 points and 4 rebounds per game), he seems to be hitting his stride down the stretch. Since March 8th, Johnson has averaged 8.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game on 50.7% shooting.

Johnson was also fantastic off the bench in the play-in game, going for 10 points, 7 rebounds, three assists, and three steals on 5/8 shooting (5/6 on 2’s).

As mentioned before, we’ve seen Johnson show the ability to be a strong defender as well. With Boston having as much offensive firepower as they do, Atlanta will need Johnson to play well on the defensive end as well, potentially being tasked with matching up with either Brown or Tatum at times.

Johnson can be a spark-powder type of player getting 15-20 minutes off the bench for the Hawks.