Jalen Johnson's versatility & 2 other X-factors as Hawks host Celtics

After two years of uncertainty and one breakout preview, Jalen Johnson is turning into the player the Hawks envisioned and need him to be.

That is critical for a team that has navigated the myriad of injuries that the Hawks have this season, including starters De’Andre Hunter and Dyson Daniels, the latter of whom returned in time to snap their four-game losing streak.

There is still more room for growth, too, which is exciting for the Hawks.

Hawks getting another leap from Jalen Johnson 

Averaging career-highs with 18.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game, Johnson is stuffing the stat sheet on a nightly basis.

He had 29 points, 9 boards, 8 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals in the win over New Orleans.

That was not even his best game of the season, with Johnson posting a 29-12-7 line with 1 steal and 1 block in the first game against the Washington Wizards.

What is more encouraging is that he is improving as the season goes on.

After averaging 11.3 points over the first three games, Johnson is up to 23.3 points over the last seven outings. He was still putting up numbers in the other categories, so he has been impactful throughout.

As the clear-cut No. 2 option on this team behind Trae Young – based in part on his performance but also the lack of a better choice – the Hawks need Johnson to score.

His other stats rose during that latter stretch too.

Johnson averaged 10.8 boards, 7.0 dimes, and 2.0 steals in that span. He even improved his efficiency from beyond the arc, though that has notably been one of the few things that Johnson can really be critiqued for.

Johnson is shooting 21.4% from the season, which would set a new career-low mark. He shot 35.5% from deep in 2023-24, but that is looking like an outlier and he was inconsistent then.

Johnson shot 23.1% from deep in limited action as a rookie and then 28.8% in his second year.

Johnson is also turning the ball over at a career-high rate, averaging 3.6 turnovers per game, and committing a career-high 3.1 fouls per game. As much as Johnson’s efficiency from deep needs to improve, it is even more important that he values possessions and stays on the floor.

Celtics short-handed too

The Hawks are still without multiple players as they enter their next matchup against the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics, on Monday. Among them are Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic.

It is also unclear who the Hawks will have available on the second leg of a back-to-back with travel (even though it was a return flight).

But the Celtics will also be shorthanded.

Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis are both set to miss the contest, leveling the playing field some. The issue the Hawks face is the Celtics still have plenty of other high-level players to soften the blow in a way the Hawks have yet to replicate.

That is why the Celtics – coming off one day’s rest – are still overwhelming favorites in the matchup.

Tired legs could doom Hawks early

The Hawks lost both legs of their first back-to-back of the season. But who will play in this one matters even more given the Hawks are coming off the high of a win with an even tougher opponent on their docket.

The Hawks were 6-9 on 0 days rest in 2023-24.

Add in fewer players – the Hawks did recall Mouhamed Gueye and Seth Lundy ahead of their tilt against Boston – and things could get out of hand for the Hawks quickly versus the Celtics.

That could be a big part of the messaging coming out of the game if the Hawks are unable to overcome the challenge before them. The reigning champs are a tough matchup under any circumstances, even wounded.

That is amplified by the Hawks’ current woes.