Jalen Johnson is the type of player organizations dream about — the kind that didn’t really exist until about 20 years ago. A do-it-all, unicorn point-forward who shoots, handles, and passes like a guard while standing 6-foot-8. He’s still just 23 years old, and in his fourth NBA season, he’s in the middle of taking the next step into superstardom.
When Trae Young went down with an injury, there were understandable concerns about how the Hawks would survive without their star point guard. He’s been the offensive engine for half a decade, and in the past, whenever he missed time, the product on the floor cratered.
Not this time.
Atlanta has won 12 of its 18 games without Young, and it’s been Jalen Johnson leading the charge — seemingly unlocking a new layer of his game every night. After posting 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists last night, the former Duke standout is now averaging 23.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 7.3 assists on the season while shooting an absurdly efficient 53.9% from the field and 41.3% from deep.
Those are already All-NBA numbers, and they only seem to be trending upward. Over Johnson’s last 10 games, he’s averaging just under 26 points per game on 50% shooting and 48.1% from three, with 11.3 rebounds and 9.0 assists.
The playmaking ability at his size is reminiscent of LeBron James, but that’s a part of his game he’s shown since he entered the league. What’s pushing him into the conversation with the league’s elite is his improved shooting.
Johnson started the year in a bit of a slump, seemingly hesitant to let it fly from deep. He went just 1-for-11 from three in his first five games. But since then (a 15-game stretch), he’s been shooting a blistering 46.4% from beyond the arc on 4.6 attempts per game. That kind of efficiency from deep is unlikely to be sustainable for an entire season, but Johnson doesn’t have to be making threes at a near 50% rate to be successful. He really just needs it to be a shot that’s respected by defenders, which opens up so many more opportunities for himself and teammates.
This is no longer Trae Young’s team — and that’s no knock on the injured point guard. He’s still a major part of what the Hawks hope to accomplish this season. But the changing of the guard is underway in Atlanta.
The future of the Hawks runs through Jalen Johnson.
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Photographer: Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire