Photo by JC Gellidon on UnsplashJalen Johnson scores 0.73 points per isolation possession. Second-worst in the NBA among players with 100-plus iso possessions. Shooting 34% in those situations.
That's your franchise cornerstone walking into his first playoff series.
I'm not retreating. I said Hawks win this series and I'm holding at 76%. But I'd be lying if I told you April 8 didn't leave a mark. JJ went 4-of-16 against Evan Mobley. Couldn't create separation. Couldn't finish through contact. Fouled out in 34 minutes while Mobley dropped 22 and 19 on the other end.
That wasn't a bad night. That was a preview.
Cleveland is going to force JJ into isolation every possession they can. Mobley will switch onto him, sit in his space, dare him to create. And the numbers say JJ doesn't have an answer for that. Not yet.
Here's what makes this maddening: the fix exists. JJ scores 1.08 points per possession in the post. That's elite. When he gets deep position and works with his back to the basket, he's a problem. But he keeps drifting to the perimeter, trying to shake defenders off the bounce, and the results are catastrophic.
0.73 PPP in isolation. 1.08 PPP in the post. That gap is the difference between a first-round exit and a second-round appearance.
The Hawks have McCollum's 67 playoff games and Gabe Vincent's Finals experience. Everyone else — JJ, Daniels, NAW, Okongwu — has zero postseason minutes. Cleveland runs out Mitchell, Harden, and Mobley, who have a combined 220-plus playoff games between them.
I'm not moving off my prediction. But this is the 24% talking. And the 24% has a stat sheet.
The Tilt
I'm still at 76% on the Hawks winning this series. But this is the 24% talking — and the 24% has receipts.
— Dex Ponce
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