The Hawks have one of the best teams in the East on paper. With Trae Young spearheading the offense, Jalen Johnson filling in as a versatile wing, Kristaps Porzingis manning the paint, a wealth of high-quality wings supporting their stars, and Quin Snyder organizing the roster, the team is in capable hands.
Bleacher Report recently outlined what could derail each team, where Atlanta’s Achilles heel was identified as its frontcourt health, given Porzingis and Johnson’s injury histories. Porzingis has averaged only 52.5 games played per season since missing the 2018-19 season due to an ACL tear. Johnson has earned a reputation as an injury-prone player after missing the bulk of the past two seasons with shoulder, wrist, and ankle injuries.
The Hawks should closely monitor the health of these two players. Not only do they carry an increased risk of injury, but they are also two parts of Atlanta’s “big three.” If the team experiences success this season, Porzingis and Johnson will be a major part of their success.
The Hawks should exercise caution this season to avoid disaster
Porzingis has the most intriguing injury history in the league. Since missing the 2018-19 season with the aforementioned ACL tear, Porzingis has never missed 20 consecutive games. His longest absence this decade was for 17 games after a rare torn medial retinaculum in his ankle.
Even this injury did not keep Porzingis sidelined for the entirety of the NBA Finals, however, as the big man fought through the pain during the Celtics' playoff run. His absence occurred after the playoffs to allow the offseason surgery to heal.
With this in mind, Porzingis has not shown himself to be susceptible to season-ending injuries despite what the injury-prone label suggests. While this all-around increased risk of injury is less than ideal, it is not the worst-case scenario. Atlanta will have to take a proactive approach to managing his health, but there is nothing to suggest he will suffer a truly catastrophic injury.
While Porzingis’s reputation is warranted, though perhaps overstated, Johnson has probably been hit with the injury-prone title prematurely. It is too early to know definitively whether Johnson will continue to suffer injuries at the rate of the past two seasons, but none of his have been truly recurring. Furthermore, his only lower-body injuries have been to his ankle, which is less concerning than, say, a calf or knee injury. Still, the Hawks should exercise caution with his health to be safe.
While the Hawks’ season could be over before it begins, the team could shock the world by simply surviving the regular season with these two players in good health. While “load management” is the NBA fan’s least favorite concept, consider that the alternative could be a lost season before complaining when these two players rest during the season.