Jalen Johnson offered an optimistic take on the Atlanta Hawks’ 120-112 home loss against the red-hot Detroit Pistons last night. During a postgame interview, the 23-year-old swingman lauded the team’s fighting spirit despite being shorthanded.
After being down by double-digits for the most part, the Atlanta Hawks cut the deficit to one point late in the final period. However, several mental mistakes cost them, and the Detroit Pistons extended their winning streak to 11 games.
“Execution is big for us, especially down the stretch,” Johnson explained via ClutchPoints’ Malik Brown. “Obviously, having Trae (Young) helps, but I think most importantly, we have to figure out what’s working and what’s not working, and stick with it. Continue to trust the process, we’re eventually going to be sharper in the last five minutes of the game, so I’m not worried about that.”
“We’re not worried. It’s the NBA, we’re not going to be on a perfect streak forever. Detroit was a hot team coming in, and they gave us a good test to see where we’re at with things. I have no doubt in my mind that we’ll bounce back,” he added.
Atlanta Hawks News: Jalen Johnson wins Eastern Conference NBA Player of the Week
After leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 4-0 record in Week 4, Jalen Johnson was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week with averages of 24.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game.
“Just understanding that hard work takes you places you can’t imagine & gives you opportunities you never could’ve seen… I’m very grateful & very appreciative of the award, but there’s a lot more work to do,” Johnson said via Jameelah Johnson of ATLHawksFan.
“I think the main thing is I do whatever it takes to win,” he added. “Whatever the game calls for me to do, I take pride in. Whether that’s passing, scoring, defending, whatever it may look like. It may look different each night, but the main thing is I just wanna help my team win.”
