Hawks’ Quin Snyder praises Jalen Johnson’s late-game execution: ‘I want everything’

ATLANTA, GA – You can call it a mini-slump.

For a three-game stretch, Jalen Johnson hadn’t looked like the same player he did that had many people raving about him this season. The easy shots weren’t falling, which seemed to lead to a lot of pressing. There may have even been a little bit of indecisiveness at times, which turned into turnovers and gave the opposition a chance to attack.

Over the course of this week, it’s safe to say that the slump is over, but most importantly, the late game-execution has improved. Against the Memphis Grizzlies, Johnson had the ball in his hands late to seal the deal for the Hawks, and he was successful. The same story happened against the Phoenix Suns, with Johnson having the chance to get the team a second-straight win, and he did so.

Yes, the ball stopped moving down the stretch when Johnson had the ball. It’s not the recipe for the Hawks’ success, but when you have a mismatch, the only thing you can do is take advantage of it. Against the Grizzlies, it was Ja Morant, and this time around, it was Grayson Allen. Both were too small to guard Johnson one-on-one.

“[Jalen’s] challenge is to feel those situations,” Quin Snyder said after the game. “That’s a responsibility that he has, and I think he’s embraced and is continuing to work on that. Playing without the ball, running, and doing a lot of the things he’s doing for us. It’s a huge part of who we are as a team, and he’s pivotal to that. 

“So we want both. I want everything from Jalen.”

There’s no doubt Snyder got everything from Johnson in the win, as he finished with 23 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists. It’s a statline that most have been accustomed to seeing from Johnson this season, and the three-game slump was something that never bothered him.

“It was three games where I didn’t play my best,” Johnson said. “I stay consistent with my work, so I had no doubt it was going to come back around. I trust my work, I trust that a lot. I knew it was going to come around, so I just have to continue to stay consistent with my work and let those things continue to take care of themselves.”

Hawks win clutch game against the Suns

The Hawks and Suns were pretty much even throughout the first half of the game, and the Hawks were able to pull away just a bit going into the second half. They built a double-digit lead early in the third quarter, but saw it quickly evaporate due to several turnovers.

The Hawks ended the quarter with more turnovers (9) than field goals made (7).

“We didn’t know what we wanted to get into on the offensive end,” Johnson said. “There were a few possessions down the court where we were unorganized, and sometimes when we’re unorganized, it makes us more sloppy on that end. I think when we’re going down and knowing what we want on that end, knowing what mismatch we want to attack, or whatever it looks like. I think when everybody is on the same page, that kind of takes back on the turnovers.”

Despite the turnovers, the Hawks only trailed by seven points going into the fourth quarter, and they were able walk the Suns down late with consistent stops on the defensive end, and clutch buckets on the other end.

“I like how we guarded, particularly down the stretch,” Snyder said.

It looks like the Hawks may have found a rhythm again, but they’ll need to continue to play this way if they want to keep stacking wins.

The post Hawks’ Quin Snyder praises Jalen Johnson’s late-game execution: ‘I want everything’ appeared first on ClutchPoints.