Atlanta Hawks scoring leader Joe Johnson will miss the next four to six weeks of the NBA season because of an injured right elbow, the team announced Wednesday.
Before the Hawks defeated visiting Memphis 112-109, the club announced that Johnson will need arthroscopic surgery in a few days to remove a “loose body” from the elbow, which has caused problems in the first month of the season.
“This is clearly something that has to be addressed,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said, adding that Johnson could not extend his arm during a Tuesday workout. Johnson averaged a team-high 17.1 points a game despite hitting only 40.1 percent from the field. In the past off-season, he signed a six-year contract worth nearly 124 million dollars.
The Hawks likely will provide more playing time to Johnson’s backup shooting guard Jamal Crawford, last season’s top NBA reserve – the Sixth Man of the Year.
Atlanta improved to 12-7 on the season by edging Memphis, with Al Horford scoring 20 points and Josh Powell coming off the bench to score 16 points in place of Johnson as the Hawks stretched their win streak to four games.
The Hawks set season highs with 33 assists and 63 first-half points.
