How Jalen Johnson's injury could land Spurs Cooper Flagg
Today at 08:46 PM
The Atlanta Hawks were dealt a major blow this week when it was announced that Jalen Johnson would miss the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury. But the Hawks’ loss could end up being the San Antonio Spurs’ gain as the Jalen Johnson injury could end up netting the Spurs two lottery picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, and the opportunity to draft Duke star Cooper Flagg.
The Spurs currently own the Hawks’ unprotected pick in the upcoming NBA Draft by way of the Dejounte Murray trade. If the NBA season were to end today, the Hawks would be in 11th place in the Eastern Conference and the Spurs would be 12th in the Western Conference. They would both be in the lottery.
Obviously there is still a lot of the regular season left to be played and both teams could rise or fall in the standings. The Spurs for one, have been reportedly linked to De’Aaron Fox, should the Sacramento Kings opt to trade him by the deadline. Not only would a potential Fox acquisition improve the Spurs roster, but Hawks’ draft pick would probably need to be on the move to acquire a player of Fox’s caliber.
On the Hawks’ end, they could actually slip further down the standings if Johnson’s injury proves to be that big of a loss.
Nevertheless, it’s an interesting scenario to ponder, considering lottery luck shined upon the Spurs when they landed the No. 1 pick and selected Victor Wembanyama. In reality, it’s a highly unlikely situation, but strange things have happened before in the NBA and Spurs fans will no doubt dream of a potential Cooper Flagg and Victor Wembanyama duo.
Cooper Flagg’s freshman season at Duke
Flagg came into the 2024-25 NCAA season with a lot of hype, and for good reason. By all accounts, Flagg had an impressive showing scrimmaging against Team USA over the summer as they prepared for the 2024 Olympics. While other players such as the Rutgers duo of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper have made their own cases for being the No. 1 pick in the draft, Flagg has long been a consensus favorite of mock drafts to be the top selection.
This season, Flagg has appeared in 20 games at a little over 31 minutes per game. He’s averaging 19.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocked shots with splits of 48.7 percent shooting from the field, 32.9 percent shooting from the three-point line and 81.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
With Flagg leading the way, Duke is currently ranked No. 2 in the country in the AP men’s basketball poll. They are 17-2, 10-0 in ACC play and have won 14 consecutive games.
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