3 goals for Atlanta Hawks’ sophomore Jalen Johnson No. 3) Establish himself in the rotation.
With the changes that the Hawks had made over the offseason, the only players who played significant bench minutes last season were Bogdan Bogdanovic and Onyeka Okongwu. This means that the rotations will not be set until part way through the season.
Johnson is going to have the opportunity to show the coaching staff that he deserves to be given playing time. Again, if he can produce the fundamentals, helping to end the defensive possession and keeping the ball moving on offense then he will get playing time.
Bleacher Report suggested that the Hawks’ biggest weakness on their roster was the lack of a veteran point guard. However, if you look at the roster, the Hawks are very small at the power forward position behind John Collins.
Johnson has been in the Hawks system for a year now. However, he is coming up against the veteran players of Maurice Harkless and Kaminsky who know how to perform a role in the NBA. Johnson will be champing at the bit for training camp to start so that he can show why the Hawks selected him last season and that he is worth giving playing time to.