The Atlanta Hawks might just have one of the deepest rosters in the entire league, loaded with talent, but they are absolutely missing the one thing every serious team needs: a stone-cold closer who can get a bucket when it matters most. Last season, Jalen Johnson, the team’s up-and-coming All-Star, put up a dismal 0.78 points per isolation possession, a number that ranked below the 50th percentile across the league. That’s a brutal stat for your main guy when the game is on the line.
All The Pieces, Still Missing The Main Event
Look, this Hawks roster is stacked, no doubt about it. They have lockdown defenders in Dyson Daniels and Lu Dort, sharpshooters like Nickeil Alexander-Walker, CJ McCollum, and Corey Kispert, and hard-nosed bigs such as Onyeka Okongwu and Jock Landale. Add in 3-and-D wings Aaron Wiggins and Dorian Finney-Smith, plus promising young guns Kingston Flemings, Asa Newell, and Zuby Ejiofor, and you see what head coach Quin Snyder is working with. The dude has a ridiculously deep bench, giving him interchangeable pieces and options for days. If Okongwu is out, Ejiofor steps up. If Daniels misses time, Dort takes the toughest perimeter assignment. Wiggins can handle Alexander-Walker’s responsibilities. This team has answers for almost any situation Snyder faces over the long regular season.
But here’s the kicker, the one glaring hole in an otherwise stellar roster: who is getting them a bucket when the clock is winding down in a tight game? As a team, the Hawks were dead last in isolation scoring last season. Think about that for a second. Beyond Johnson’s 0.78 points per isolation, McCollum scored 0.82, and Alexander-Walker posted 0.85. All those numbers were below the 50th percentile, according to Synergy Sports. You can have all the depth in the world, but if nobody can go get a bucket one-on-one when the defense locks down, what good is it?
Playoff Pain and The Jalen Johnson Question
We saw this play out in brutal fashion in the playoffs against the Knicks. Yeah, McCollum had his moments, hitting go-ahead baskets in Atlanta’s two first-round wins. But New York made an adjustment, putting Josh Hart on him, and just like that, the well dried up. Over the final three games of that series, McCollum averaged a measly 11.3 points on 39.5% shooting, racked up 10 turnovers, and dished out only four assists. The Knicks figured it out, and Atlanta’s most reliable scorer in the series suddenly could not create a thing.
Trying to run the break was not an option either. Even though the Hawks ranked third in fastbreak scoring during the regular season at 18.1 points per game, New York shut that down cold. They scored seven fastbreak points in Game 4, four in Game 5, and eight in their Game 6 blowout loss. The Knicks forced them into playing against a set defense, which is what happens in the playoffs, opponents know your plays and take away the easy baskets. Eventually, someone just has to beat a defender one-on-one. At 35, McCollum spent his prime as Damian Lillard’s second option. You can’t ask him to carry a bigger burden now.
This is where Jalen Johnson comes in. He made his first All-Star team last season, and he is absolutely Atlanta’s best hope to become that go-to guy. At 6-foot-8, he has the versatility to grab a rebound and lead the break, run a pick-and-roll, or just attack a mismatch off the dribble. He has got the tools, but here’s the problem: his jumper still needs work, serious work. Against the Knicks, he averaged 19.5 points, which is solid, but he shot just 29% from three. Johnson needs to reach another level as a scorer for the Hawks to be a serious playoff threat. If he does not make that leap, then someone else has to, and fast. Could Nickeil Alexander-Walker be the one to take that leap?
The Hawks kick off the season with a roster that has a ton of promise and depth, but all eyes are going to be on Johnson. Can he develop that reliable jumper and become the closer this team so desperately needs? His progression as a go-to scorer could be the key to unlocking their potential and truly making some noise this season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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