Playing time was hard to come by for Hawks rookie Jalen Johnson during the 2021-22 season. After an impressive Summer League, Johnson was mostly used in garbage time situations, featuring in just 22 games in his rookie campaign and an average of 5.5 minutes per game.
With how suddenly thin the Hawks’ bench now became in the front-court after the trade of Danilo Gallinari, Johnson would get his opportunity and he showed promise from the flashes he showed up to this point, averaging 5.6 points per game on 49% shooting from the field in 14 minutes per game in 70 contests across the 2022-23 season.