Jaylen Johnson talks ‘growing pains’ with CJ McCollum

The Atlanta Hawks have looked different the past two weeks due to the Trae Young trade, and they have two new contributors to the team. CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert came from the Washington Wizards in a trade, and those are two players who have the tools to help the Hawks through the rest of the season.

McCollum in particular is known as a veteran in this league and was on several different teams before joining the Hawks. Throughout his career, he’s gotten buckets in clutch situations or when the team needs to get out of a rut, and he knows how to answer the call.

Hopefully he will have the same impact on the Hawks, and while it looks like he and Kispert are still adjusting, Jalen Johnson he already said a good thing about the vet.

“He’s a good vet,” Johnson said. “He’s someone who’s in constant communication with everybody. You’re going to have growing pains, especially when you’re trying to integrate new guys into the group, but luckily, we’ve got two smart guys that have come in and are adjusting pretty quickly. We just have to stick with it and stay consistent in everything.”

As the season continues, McCollum should be able to fit into what the Hawks are trying to do, and hopefully that leads to wins, as the Hawks are currently on a four-game losing streak.

The Hawks are still adjusting to the new additions to the team

After that Hawks loss to Milwaukee BucksNickeil Alexander-Walker he was asked on how to play with McCollum.

“It’s just about reading the point of attack and playing off the ball a little bit with him,” Alexander-Walker said. “I know in the first half I drove, he hit me. I set a screen, I was stopped, he peeled off, I hit him, and he was able to finish and get a layup. The more we use our skills and tools together, I feel like it’s going to benefit us. And sometimes it is, it’s just about communication, and how he can be our learning system and learning.

“I’m going to try to be better at communicating. The hardest thing is that I’m in year 7 and he’s like 13, I’m not trying to come off as the guy who nags him. He’s done that before. But I still have that open communication and he says ‘Hey trust me’ or ‘What do you see here’.”

McCollum will be looked to as a player who can come off the bench and be a spark for the Hawks, while also using his veteran leadership to steer them on the right path.