Sore hand will not sideline Joe Johnson
Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Joe Johnson is obviously affected by his sore hand and head coach Larry Drew knows it, but the first-year Hawks coach said the team have no plans of giving the
former Arkansas stand-out a rest.
According to Drew, he is not inclined to rest the 29-year-old guard, although he knows that the injury has been affecting Johnson’s shooting since the start of the season. Drew noted they
could not afford to lose their primary scoring option, especially now the Hawks are struggling after having a great start this season.
“I will consider it, but a high probability of giving him time off? No,” said Drew. "We will probably just try to rest him days that we are not playing, especially when we have a couple days
in between. Let him get it treated and keep him out. With those type injuries they always start to feel good, and then you get it banged again and it becomes a lingering thing through the season.”
After starting the season with six straight victories, Atlanta (8-7) have dropped seven of their last nine games, including a humbling 99-76 loss against the Boston Celtics on Monday that
was followed by a disappointing 107-101 defeat against the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday.
Johnson, on the other hand, admitted that his sore hand is getting aggravated after
every
game, but he reiterated that he could play through it. The all-star shooting guard also said that his injured hand is not affecting his shooting, although he is only averaging 17.6
points on 41.1 percent shooting clip this season, which are both lower than his average last season.
“The only thing that can keep it from hurting is resting, but we don't have time for that,” said Johnson, who averaged 21.3 points on 45.8 per cent shooting from the field last season. “I
have to play through it. It's nothing major.”
Johnson and the Hawks will try to put an end to their three-game losing skid when they host rookie sensation John Wall and the Washington Wizards on Thursday 25 November at the Philips Center
in Atlanta.
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