Hawks forward Jalen Johnson may have been headed for his first All-Star appearance before a torn labrum in his left shoulder ended his season in January. Now that he’s fully recovered, he’s eager to start competing again after nine months away from the game, writes Bill Trocchi of The Associated Press.
“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.”
The Hawks made several important additions during Johnson’s absence, bringing in Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard, and Johnson said he’s been spending training camp learning how to play alongside them. Coach Quin Snyder told Trocchi that Johnson will handle the ball more often this season and will create easier opportunities for his teammates.
“Other guys on the team benefit from Jalen because of his play-making ability,” Snyder said. “Jalen is such a good passer and willing passer that he’s ready to play-make even more. … (With the new lineup), 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.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- After capturing Most Improved Player honors last season, Dyson Daniels spent the summer trying to raise his game even further, per Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required). The Hawks guard is making an effort to become a more versatile offensive player. “I was able to go and make improvements in a lot of ways,” Daniels said. “I worked a lot on my midrange game, being able to get to spots, different pickups, different footwork, getting good shots, trying to develop that offensive bag. And I think that’s been the main focus for me this summer.”
- Point guard Tyus Jones seems like an ideal addition for a Magic team that has experienced difficulty with holding onto the ball in recent years, observes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Jones, who led the NBA in assists-to-turnover ratio for six straight seasons, said he considered joining Orlando for a while before signing as a free agent this summer. “This has been a place where I’ve kind of had my eye on and thought the fit was there the last few years,” he 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.”
- Hornets guard Tre Mann is happy to be able to play again after a back injury derailed last season after 13 games, relays Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Mann admitted going through a “dark time” during the long recovery process, but now says he’s grateful for “just being in the NBA, being healthy and putting on the NBA jersey.”