Hawks F Jalen Johnson (ankle) finished for regular season

Field Level Media|published: Thu 11th April, 12:43 2024

Apr 3, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) dunks the ball against the Detroit Pistons during the first half at State Farm Arena. credits: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson's breakout season is over due to a nagging ankle injury.

The team said Thursday that an MRI revealed a Grade 2 lateral sprain of his right ankle. He will be re-evaluated in three weeks.

The Hawks (36-44) have two games left in the regular season before meeting the Chicago Bulls in the postseason play-in tournament.

Johnson, 22, set career highs with 16.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in 56 games (52 starts) in his third season.

Johnson rolled his ankle in the third quarter of Tuesday night's 117-111 loss to the Miami Heat in double overtime. He had 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting and eight rebounds in 24 minutes before exiting.

The 2021 first-round pick previously injured the same ankle against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 6 and missed three games. In his third game back, he aggravated the ankle against the Los Angeles Lakers and missed another six contests.

Johnson averaged 2.4 points per game as a 2021-22 rookie and contributed 5.6 points per contest last season before embracing a larger role with the Hawks in 2023-24.

—Field Level Media