The Atlanta Hawks are dealing with adversity at a variety of levels this season. Their star center is out for the season, Josh Smith has been Josh Smith, their depth has been hit by injuries and the condensed schedule has made it tough for an altered roster to gel oer the course of the season.
The one consistent has been Joe Johnson and in his 12th NBA season, his statistical averages reflect a player learning to deal with a game that's on the wrong side of 30 and a team that needs him to get over the proverbial hump. Johnson's averages this season of 18.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists reflect a disappointing 2010-11 season, and is a drop-off of five consecutive seasons of 20+ points/game and 5 assists/game that led some to consider him for the MVP.
SB Nation's Tom Ziller recently released his MVP Power Rankings on Wednesday and Joe Johnson was only able to get an honorable mention. Can Johnson regain his top form, or should this serve as notice of what to expect from here on out? We'll see what four years remaining of $88 million can get you.
For more on this game Hawks fans should head over to Peachtree Hoops and Pacers fans should stop by Indy Cornrows. For more NBA news and analysis be sure to check out SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.