Hawks news: Quin Snyder praises Jaylen Johnson’s late-game execution: ‘I want it all’

ATLANTA, Ga. – You could call it a little slump.

For a period of three games, Jaylen Johnson didn’t look like the same player he did that caused a lot of people to rave about him this season. The easy shots weren’t falling, which seemed to lead to a lot of pressing. Perhaps at times there was even a bit of indecision, which turned into reversals and gave the opposition a chance to attack.

During this week, it’s safe to say the slump is over, but most importantly, the late game execution has improved. Against the Memphis Grizzlies, Johnson had the ball in his hands, he closed the deal late for the Hawks, and it was successful. The same story happened against the Phoenix Suns, where Johnson had a chance to give the team a second straight win, and he did.

Yes, the ball stopped moving down the stretch when Johnson had the ball. That’s not a recipe for success for the Hawks, 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 it was Grayson Allen. Both were too small to guard Johnson one-on-one.

“(Jalen’s) challenge is to feel those situations,” Quinn Snyder he said after the game. “That’s a responsibility that he has, and I think he’s embraced it and continues to work on it. He plays without the ball, runs and does a lot of things that he does for us. That’s a big part of who we are as a team, and he’s key to that.”

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

There’s no doubt that Snyder got everything from Johnson in the win, as he finished with 23 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists. That’s a parameter most are used to seeing from Johnson this season, and a three-game slump is something that has 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 that it would come back. I believe in my work, I believe in it a lot. I knew it was going to happen, so I just have to continue to stay consistent with my work and let those things continue to take care of themselves.”

The Hawks won a clutch game against the Suns

The Hawks and Suns were pretty evenly matched throughout the first half, with the Hawks only able to pull away in the second half. At the beginning of the third quarter, they built a double-digit lead, but it quickly disappeared due to several turnovers.

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

“We didn’t know what we wanted to go into on the offensive end,” Johnson said. “There were a couple of possessions down the field where we were disorganized, and sometimes when we’re disorganized, it makes us even more sloppy on that end. I think when we go down there and we know what we want on that end, we know what mismatch we want to attack, or whatever it looks like. I think when everyone’s on the same page, that kind of returns the turnover.”

Despite the turnovers, the Hawks trailed by just seven points in the fourth quarter, and were able to walk the Suns late with constant defensive stops and clutch play on the other end.

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

The Hawks seem to have found their rhythm again, but they’ll need to keep playing like this if they want to keep putting together wins.