The Hawks announced in a press release on Wednesday that forward Jalen Johnson has been cleared to fully resume practicing. The organization also stated that Johnson’s status will be updated “as appropriate.”
When Johnson sustained a left distal radius fracture on November 25, he was having a breakthrough season. The 22-year-old averaged 14.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 31.4 minutes per night with a.590/.421/.774 shooting line in his 14 healthy games this season.
With Johnson on the court, the Hawks have a +4.6 net rating this season—the greatest of any player on the team—and have gone 3-8 without him. It’s excellent news for the struggling team that he appears to be getting close to making a comeback.
The Hawks have released the following further injury bulletins as of today:
Kobe Bufkin, a rookie guard with the Hawks who suffered a fracture to his left thumb on November 2, has also been cleared to resume full practice. It sounds like he will be back soon because his recuperation period was said to be eight to ten weeks from the date of his injury, which was about seven weeks ago.
After undergoing a CT scan on Monday for a stress fracture to his right low back, forward Mouhamed Gueye, another rookie, has been cleared to start light individual practice on the court. Nevertheless, Atlanta has stated that Gueye will undergo another evaluation in four weeks, so a comeback is not likely.
After receiving treatment on Tuesday, Bogdan Bogdanovic—who has missed the previous two games due to inflammation in his right ankle—is doubtful to play in Wednesday’s game against Houston.
On Wednesday, reserve forward AJ Griffin will miss his fifth straight game due to personal circumstances. With only 12 appearances this season, the 2022 first-round pick has averaged just 9.2 minutes per game and hasn’t been a part of the Hawks’ regular rotation.
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