The fourth-year forward, who made 50.0 percent of his shots from the field in 36 outings this season, looked like a borderline All-Star candidate and a contender for Most Improved Player votes.

Johnson, star point guard Trae Young, defensive-minded swingman (and NBA steals leader) Dyson Daniels and rookie wing Zaccharie Risacher are Atlanta’s core players. For the rest of this season, however, the Hawks must soldier on without one of those four names.

Atlanta forward Jalen Johnson plans to have shoulder surgery and miss the remainder of the season, a major blow to the struggling Hawks’ efforts to remain in the Eastern Conference playoff race.