Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson will miss 4-to-6 weeks with a wrist injury suffered on Saturday against the Washington Wizards, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The injury itself appeared to occur in the second quarter of Atlanta’s 136-108 win. Johnson was so determined to stay on the floor that he even shot a one-handed free throw before ultimately exiting.
This outcome was considered a best-case scenario for Johnson, according to Charania. Imaging showed that he did not suffer a fracture on his left wrist and that he will not need surgery. Still, this is a lengthy absence for Johnson and the Hawks, but things could have been far worse.
This has been Johnson’s breakout season in the NBA. The No. 20 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft was not much of a factor in his first two seasons, but he emerged to average 14.1 points while playing strong defense for a Hawks team that opened up minutes for him by dealing incumbent power forward John Collins this offseason.
Johnson had been so good for the Hawks that he was quietly emerging as a candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. Sadly, he may have just fallen out of the running. The Most Improved Player award is one of several awards that will have a 65-game minimum this season, and if Johnson is out for over a month, he might not be able to play enough games to stay in the race. Still, the Hawks would be satisfied just to get him back on the court sooner rather than later, so all things considered, this has to be treated as good news for Atlanta.
