The Atlanta Hawks have compiled 12 wins and 8 losses since Trae Young’s injury. On October 29, 2025, Trae Young sustained a right knee sprain after Mouhamed Gueye fell back onto his leg.
The Hawks’ short-term success without Trae Young is due to a significant improvement in their defense. Before Trae Young’s injury, Atlanta ranked 20th in the league in defense. Over the first 5 games of the season, opponents averaged 120.4 points while shooting 49.8% on 89.2 attempts per game.
However, opponents are scoring 4.9 fewer points per game since Trae Young’s injury. Atlanta is holding opponents to 115.5 points on 46.1% shooting from 89.3 attempts per game. These statistics have helped Atlanta rank 15th in the league in defense.
Opponents Dominate When Trae Young and Jalen Johnson Share the Floor
Atlanta’s defensive performance without Trae Young is tied to more effort on defense. Over the first five games, Trae Young and Jalen Johnson would put in minimal defensive effort. On October 27, 2025, Trae Young was guarding Nikola Vučević with four minutes left in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls.
Nikola Vučević had the ball at the top of the key and began to triple short the basket. He had an open lane as Trae Young was standing by his right hip. Upon reaching the free-throw Line, Nikola Vučević was picked up by Kristaps Porzingis, and Trae Young switched his focus to Kevin Huerter for the rest of the possession. The defensive switch led Nikola Vučević to pass the ball to Ayo Dosunmu in the right corner for a wide-open three.
As the play unfolded, Jalen Johnson spent the entire possession standing near the left baseline watching the play.
Their lack of defensive effort is supported by statistics. Over the first five games, both players were in the bottom five on their team in average defensive sprint speed. Trae Young had an average defensive sprint speed of 3.86 miles per hour, second-worst on the team.
Jalen Johnson was slightly better, with an average defensive sprint speed of 4.01 miles per hour, the fifth-worst on the team. The unwillingness to put more effort into defense has led opposing teams to excel offensively when both players are on the floor together.
Jalen Johnson and Trae Young have appeared in four games together this season, averaging 18.5 minutes per contest. In these minutes, opponents are averaging 55.3 points while shooting 58.2% on 35.3 attempts per game.
These offensive statistics have helped opponents outscore Atlanta by seven points per game when both players are on the court together. It is not the first time Atlanta has struggled defensively with the duo on the court.
The duo has averaged 21.6 minutes per game since the 2022-23 season. During these minutes, opponents have averaged 54.6 points, shooting 47.7% on 41.5 attempts per game. Opponents have outscored Atlanta by 0.2 points per game.
Easier Assignments Help Hide Jalen Johnson
The subpar defensive effort leads the team to perform better when only one of them is on the court. Trae Young’s absence has allowed Atlanta to give Jalen Johnson an easier defensive assignment.
On December 6, 2025, Jalen Johnson guarded Washington Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly for 40.5 partial possessions over 7.7 minutes. During these minutes, Bilal Coulibaly stood in the corner as a floor spacer, only attempting five shots.
Bilal Coulibaly scored five points, converting 40% of his shots. These types of matchups have lowered his defensive effort and lessened the negative impact he has on the team’s defense.
In Trae Young’s absence, Jalen Johnson has significantly lowered his defensive effort. He has the worst defensive sprint speed on the team at 3.86 miles per hour.Johnson’s defensive effort has been poor for multiple seasons.
Since the 2022-23 season, he has averaged 3.96 miles per hour in defensive sprint speed, 11th on the team. In essence, the Hawks’ defensive issues stem from both players, not just Trae Young.
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