October couldn’t arrive fast enough for John Jenkins.
It’s been a long recovery from the back injury that ruined the second NBA season for the Hawks guard. The start of training camp meant he could finally close that chapter of his career and start another.
Jenkins was forced to go six months without shooting a basketball as part of his recovery from the injury that eventually required surgery. He admits to being “crazy” watching the Hawks play without him, especially during the playoffs.
“Now that it’s here I feel better than ever,” Jenkins said of a new season. “I’m bigger, faster, stronger and my game went to new levels because I went through so much mentally with this injury.”
One year ago, Jenkins sat at Hawks media day and revealed that a back injury slowed him during the summer. While he was cleared for training camp, the injury surfaced again and limited his participation. He played sparingly until the pain in his lower back became too much on Dec. 26. He missed the final 54 games of the season and had surgery on Feb. 3. His final totals for the season were 13 games played with an average of 3.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 12.2 minutes.
It was painful – physically and mentally – for the 2012 first-round draft pick.
Jenkins started shooting a basketball just a month before the Las Vegas Summer League in June. He was cleared to play days before the tournament. Despite his desire to get back on a court, it quickly became clear that it was all too much too fast. He played in just two of the Hawks’ six games before shutting it down.
“Summer league was basically just pulling it out, seeing where I’m at and adjusting,” Jenkins said. “I just wasn’t ready. Physically, I was ready but I hadn’t played a game in a long time. I just didn’t want to rush anything. That was my biggest thing. I’ve seen people do that with back injuries and I didn’t want to be that guy.”
Jenkins returned home to Tennessee for several weeks to continue his rehab. He spent time at Vanderbilt University, getting back to basics, working with his former coaches and doing old shooting drills.
Jenkins returned to Atlanta and eventually Hawks players gathered in September for open gym. His shot came back. The pace of the game came back. His confidence came back. It was noticeable, especially for a sharp-shooter and gym rat that had to go so long without touching a ball in a meaningful way.
“No, that’s a long time,” said Kyle Korver when asked if he could imagine going so long without shooting. “You wouldn’t know now. John has been great. I’ve been really impressed with John. He’s moving well. He’s shooting the ball well. He’s moving with confidence. He’s really looked good the last three or four weeks that we’ve been here playing. That was a really hard period for John because he cares so much and he loves basketball so much. He likes to work out. He loves being in the gym. But he’s come out of it, hopefully for the better.”
It is an important season for Jenkins. The Hawks have a team option on him next season, giving him a year to make his case. Despite limited action in coach Mike Budenholzer’s system last season, there will likely be opportunity for him. As the Hawks roster stands with the maximum of 15 players under contract, the team is carrying seven big men. Most NBA teams carry six big men. The roster also has three point guards, a league staple. Jenkins is joined by four other wing players in DeMarre Carroll, Thabo Sefolosha, Kent Bazemore and Korver. In the Hawks offense, with the shooting guard and small forward interchangeable, all five could be part of the rotation. Jenkins will be in competition mostly for the backup shooting guard spot behind Korver, according to Budenholzer.
“We are all happy for John,” Budenholzer said. “It’s hard to play at this level and compete when your body doesn’t feel right. He is in a position that he feels really good health-wise.”
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