Hawks F Jalen Johnson (ankle) ruled out vs. Suns

Field Level Media|published: Thu 21st March, 13:45 2024

Mar 18, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) dunks the ball over Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. credits: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson has been ruled out of Thursday's road game against the Phoenix Suns with a right ankle injury.

Johnson, 22, is in the midst of a breakout season with 16.1 points per game and 8.6 rebounds in 51 contests (48 starts). In three NBA seasons he has averaged 8.9 points and 5.2 rebounds in 143 games (54 starts).

He was selected by the Hawks with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Johnson was injured in Monday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers with 6:47 remaining when he rolled his right ankle after stepping on the foot of teammate Clint Capela. It is Johnson's second right ankle injury this month after he also was hurt on March 6 and missed three games.

The Hawks (30-38) currently hold the final play-in tournament spot in the Eastern Conference, going 6-6 since star guard Trae Young departed after finger surgery. Young is expected to be healthy by the time the regular season ends on April 14.

Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu recently missed 13 games with a sprained big left toe but returned Monday to score 11 points against the Lakers.

—Field Level Media

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