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Brad Rowland: Jalen Johnson (left shoulder inflammation) has been downgraded to questionable for tonight’s game.
Then there's the side of Kuminga that craved a change of scenery. He couldn't help but feel the rush when Saleh told him over the phone, soon after the trade was agreed, that the Hawks were chasing wins — now — and eager to get him to Atlanta and unlock his natural game. “His mindset … JK's just like a dog ready to be unleashed,” Hawks All-Star forward Jalen Johnson told me. “You can tell, just how he's working out, how he's approaching his days. He’s ready to go. He's ready to do what it takes to win. And show the rest of the world that.”
Courtside Buzz: HAWKS WIN AN NBA-BEST 10 STRAIGHT GAMES! Nickeil Alexander Walker had a career-high 41 Points on 9/14 3PM & Jalen Johnson registered a 24/15/13 triple-double in Atlanta’s 124-112 WIN vs. Orlando! NAW: 41 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL, 12/21 FGM, 9/14 3PM, 37 MIN Johnson: 24 PTS, 15 REB, 13 AST, 10/19 FGM, 2/6 3PM Hawks are now 37-31, 8th in the East & 1.0 GB from the Miami Heat who are in the last playoff spot before the play-in!
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NBA Communications: Other nominees… West: Devin Booker (PHX), DeMar DeRozan (SAC), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC), Kawhi Leonard (LAC), Austin Reaves (LAL) and Victor Wembanyama (SAS) East: Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane (ORL), Jalen Brunson (NYK), Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren (DET), Brandon Ingram (TOR) and Jalen Johnson (ATL)
Kevin Chouinard: Final: Hawks 122, Bucks 99. CJ McCollum: 30 pts, Jalen Johnson: 23 pts, 12 ast, 10 reb, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels each had 3 steals
What all that means, in the short term, is that the Hawks can chase wins in March and April without worrying about the draft lottery in May. Which is certainly refreshing amid all of this season's tanking talk. It also puts them in the privileged position to prioritize Johnson's development as opposed to trying to make a trade run at Giannis Antetokounmpo. Atlanta would have been a natural trade partner for Milwaukee given the control that the Hawks have over the Bucks' top selections in the next two drafts, but league sources say that Atlanta has always viewed the notion of trading the 24-year-old Jalen Johnson for Antetokounmpo to be a complete non-starter.
The Hawks' in-house belief, frankly, is that Johnson has MVP potential. So they were very much covering their ears in December when Johnson's agent Rich Paul, on his Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman, came out and suggested that the Bucks target Milwaukee native Johnson as the headline return in a deal for The Greek Freak. "That was probably the first time in my career [hearing] the rumors and stuff like that,” Jalen Johnson told The Stein Line. "But I got reassurance from everyone around here that that's not the plan. Obviously it means a lot ... the trust they have in me and the belief they have in me." Atlanta likewise swatted away in-season trade interest from rival teams (Indiana perhaps loudest among them) in Okongwu. "I love being with the Hawks, man," Atlanta's starting center told me. "I appreciate all the guys trusting in me and wanting me here."
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The Lead: Players to average 20/10/7 for a season before age 25: - Oscar Robertson - Nikola Jokic - Jalen Johnson (so far this szn)
NBA Communications: Other nominees... West: Devin Booker (PHX), Luka Dončić (LAL), Anthony Edwards (MIN), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC), Jrue Holiday (POR) and Kawhi Leonard (LAC) East: Bam Adebayo (MIA), Paolo Banchero (ORL), Jalen Johnson (ATL) and Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK)
Kevin Chouinard: For tomorrow’s game vs. Portland: Nickeil Alexander-Walker (left foot sprain) is questionable. Jalen Johnson (left hip flexor irritation) is questionable.
Dominique Wilkins, who matched up against Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen during their heyday, compared Jalen Johnson to the six-time NBA champion. “Well, I must say he’s a little bit of Scottie Pippen as far as being a point forward,” Wilkins told Casino.org in an exclusive interview. “Pippen was a point forward, and was very effective at the position. This guy Jalen, he brings even another element, because the way he rebounds, the way he passes, and he flirts with a triple-double every single night. I love Jalen Johnson. The way he plays, man, and he’s so deserving of this honor that he received during All-Star weekend. I couldn’t be happier for him.”
