At the start of the year, Hawks third-year forward Jalen Johnson was a sneaky candidate for the NBA's Most Improved Player award and about a month into the season, it looked like that was going to be true. Johnson moved into the starting lineup for the Hawks and became their best defensive player as well as someone who could crash the glass. Johnson was having a tremendous start to the season and then in late November, he suffered an injury in a win over the Wizards and had to be sidelined a month.
During that stretch, you could see how much the Hawks missed Johnson. Atlanta plummeted to the bottom of the NBA in defense and missed his versatility. It quickly became apparent that Johnson might be the second most irreplaceable player on the Hawks after superstar point guard Trae Young.
Since he returned, Johnson has made a huge impact on the floor for the Hawks.
He played 29 minutes in his first game back vs the Bulls and scored 10 points, had nine rebounds, and also had four assists in his return to action.
Johnson played well on the defensive end when guarding DeRozan and looked like himself when getting rebounds or getting out on the break.
Just one game later, Johnson set his career high in rebounds in a win over the Kings, grabbing 15 boards. He nearly beat that number on Sunday afternoon in a win over the Wizards, grabbing 13 and shooting 9-12 from the field.
The Hawks' defense, while still not great, has been much better with Johnson on the floor these past three games.
Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks's defense is 6.4 points better when Johnson is on the floor and the opponent's effective field goal percentage is 3.1% worse when he is on the floor.
76ers guard Tyrese Maxey is the odds-on favorite to win the NBA's Most Improved Player Award, but take a look at the stats and how Atlanta has been with and without Johnson, and his case is crystal clear.
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