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Hawks Announce Unfortunate Jalen Johnson News on Sunday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Dec 28, 2025 8:02 PM ET

Jalen Johnson has been the Atlanta Hawks' best player this 2025-26 season, averaging team-highs 23.7 points and 10.4 rebounds. The 24-year-old forward is also putting up 8.4 assists and 1.4 steals, both of which are the second-best marks on the team.

That said, no one can deny the importance of Johnson to the Hawks. This is why any potential absence of the rising star could be problematic for Atlanta.

Unfortunately, that's the case ahead of their showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. The Hawks announced on Sunday that Johnson has been ruled out for the game due to an undisclosed illness.

Johnson has played in 30 of the Hawks' 33 contests so far. Against the Knicks on Saturday, he dropped 20 points, nine rebounds, 12 assists and two blocks.

Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) reacts during a game.Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Thunder are the reigning NBA champions and remain the best team in the league today, boasting a 27-5 win-loss record.

It's worth noting that Johnson was not able to play in the Hawks' first meeting against the Thunder this season last October due to an ankle injury. In that game, Oklahoma City blew out Atlanta by 17 points, 117-100.

With Johnson out once again, the Hawks are certainly facing an uphill battle against the Thunder. Not to mention, they will also be without Kristaps Porzingis, while All-Star guard Trae Young is not 100% and is listed as questionable due to a quad contusion.

The Thunder will be playing the second game of a back-to-back on Monday, so facing an exhausted team led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could be advantageous for the Hawks. Still, the rest of the Hawks will need to step up if they want to win.

Rookie Asa Newell and third-year forward Mouhamed Gueye are expected to have increased roles with Johnson absent.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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