NBA Notes: Hawks, Jalen Johnson, Knicks, Magic, Tyus Jones

Hawks

Jalen Johnson may have been on his way to an All-Star berth last season before a torn labrum in his left shoulder ended things in January. Nine months later, the Hawks forward is healthy and ready to pick up where he left off, Bill Trocchi of The Associated Press writes.

“I’m just excited for a basketball game,” Johnson said. “It’s been a long time since January, so I’m excited to get out on the court, preseason, training camp. I’m excited to be full go and fully healthy going into the season.”

Atlanta added Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard during Johnson’s absence. Head coach Quin Snyder plans to use Johnson as more of a facilitator.

“Other guys on the team benefit from Jalen because of his playmaking ability,” Snyder said. “Jalen is such a good passer and willing passer that he’s ready to play-make even more. … He will be in spacing situations where he can just catch and shoot.

“We want him to do that, just to let it fly. We trust him in that regard.”

Knicks

Malcolm Brogdon received first-half minutes Saturday in Abu Dhabi as part of New York’s competition for its final roster spots, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes.

Head coach Mike Brown is giving veterans on non-guaranteed deals — Brogdon, Landry Shamet and Garrison Mathews — opportunities to play with rotation guys during preseason.

“Trying to see different guys we’ve signed with different combinations,” Brown said. “I may throw a guy in for three minutes. Part of that is I may use him that way in the regular season.

“So how does he respond? I’m experimenting right now.”

Brogdon tallied five points, four rebounds and two steals in 13 minutes. Shamet went scoreless in nine minutes, while Mathews posted six points on 1-of-5 shooting.

• Brown’s up-tempo offense also started to take shape in the second game overseas. Jalen Brunson said the Knicks focused on sprinting to corners after misses to generate early offense. “Pace doesn’t necessarily mean fast,” Brunson said. “It’s about playing smart, seeing what the defense does and just reading that.”

Magic

Point guard Tyus Jones, who led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio for six straight seasons, looks like a natural fit for Orlando, Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel writes.

“This has been a place where I’ve kind of had my eye on and thought the fit was there the last few years,” Jones said. “It eventually played itself out and the time is right now.

“I’m excited to be here. I plan on making those fans happy and look forward to playing in front of them.”

Jones signed with the Magic this summer to help stabilize a team that has struggled to protect the ball in recent years.