Jalen Johnson has to win his matchups vs Knicks
The Atlanta Hawks are looking to win their playoff series win since 2021 in which they began the postseason with a 4-1 series win over the New York Knicks, who they are currently facing in this year’s opening round in a series tied 2-2 with Game 5 taking place in Madison Square Garden.
On Tuesday, Atlanta Hawks analyst and former NBA player, Brian Oliver, joined 92-9 The Game’s Carl Dukes and Mike Bell, to preview the Game 5 matchup and shared his thoughts on what he believes has to happen in order for the Hawks to not only win Game 5, but eventually win the series against the Knicks.
“Jalen [Johnson] has to be the dude,” Oliver said as he explained why he believes the Atlanta All-Star, who is averaging 19.5 points per game in the postseason, will need to be more impactful down the stretch for the Hawks to get out of New York with a series lead and give themselves an opportunity to close out with a Game 6 win in Atlanta.
“For most of the year, people debated whether this was his team when they made the transaction to move on from Trae [Young] and I think what it is, he has to be more of a star,” Oliver said of Johnson. “He has to be more aggressive,” Oliver said.Jalen Johnson will need to be 'more aggressive' remainder of playoffs
Jalen Johnson will need to be 'more aggressive' remainder of playoffs
