Atlanta Hawks: 3 goals for Jalen Johnson for the 2021-22 season
Atlanta Hawks season goal for Jalen Johnson No. 3) Carve out rotation minutes.
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The challenge for any rookie is to carve out any regular time on the court. There is the chance that he will pick up some of the minutes which are available thanks to the injury sustained by Onyeka Okongwu as he recuperates from his shoulder surgery.
However, most of these will likely go to Gorgui Dieng but Johnson could be used if the matchup fits his game. It is the minutes that were allocated to Solomon Hill and Tony Snell last season and it is up to him to keep them with his play.
The biggest problem for Johnson is that the Hawks have some incredible strength in the frontcourt. Apart from the De’Andre Hunter and Collins who are in the starting roles, the Hawks also have Hill, Danilo Gallinari, Cam Reddish, and Kevin Huerter. All of these players are in direct competition with Johnson for minutes.
What will Jalen Johnson's roster impact be?. dark. Next
However, Johson is a different type of player than all of these named above. He is going to carve out a niche against the second units in the NBA. He is going to need to form a good connection with Wright and Williams so that he can gain more minutes as he gets more comfortable with the pace of the NBA.