{"id":753385,"date":"2026-06-05T19:48:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:48:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/753385\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T19:48:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:48:16","slug":"atlanta-must-prioritize-its-future-around-rising-star-jalen-johnson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/753385\/","title":{"rendered":"Atlanta Must Prioritize Its Future Around Rising Star Jalen Johnson"},"content":{"rendered":"

For years, the Atlanta Hawks<\/a> have searched for a franchise cornerstone. The Dejounte Murray<\/a> Era failed<\/a>. For years, the team cycled through rosters built around Trae Young<\/a> with little recent success. Now, Atlanta stands at a promising crossroad, with forward Jalen Johnson<\/a> emerging as the light at the end of the tunnel.<\/p>\n

Johnson averaged<\/a> 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 7.9 assists while shooting 49% from the field last year. His performance earned him his first All-Star and All-NBA nods. It also offered the Hawks a strong reason to consider building the team around him.<\/p>\n

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Additionally, at 6-foot-8, he offers versatility as a forward, efficient shooting around the rim, and two-way impact as a strong rebounder and defender. Heading into the offseason, the biggest question is whether Atlanta is prepared to embrace a future led by Johnson.<\/p>\n

Becoming the Atlanta Hawks\u2019 Present and Future<\/p>\n

Jalen Johnson is still very young, given where his production is at. Johnson is still 24, a rarity given that most players reaching 22-10-8 averages with his playmaking and defensive versatility are in their mid-to-late 20s.<\/p>\n

Johnson signed<\/a> a five-year, $150 million rookie-scale extension in October 2024. The deal began in the 2025-26 season. It runs through the 2029-30 season.<\/p>\n

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Mirin Fader, a senior writer for The Athletic, spoke about Johnson\u2019s climb<\/a> in productivity, which led to the eventual contract extension, noting how he was \u201cone of just six players in NBA history to average at least 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and one 3-pointer per game in a season before turning 23.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fader continued that after the Hawks gave him his hefty extension, \u201c[Johnson] was still often the first to arrive to shoot before games, even at night on non-game days on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

The contract gives the Hawks full control of Johnson through the end of the 2029-30 season. By then, Johnson will still be 28. Also, the Hawks could extend him again in 2028-29.<\/p>\n

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Perhaps to your average fan, this contract may seem a little exaggerated for a player who just started to explode a few years ago.<\/p>\n

However, the league is increasingly being dominated by versatile forwards who can handle the ball, facilitate offense, and defend multiple positions. Players like Nikola Joki\u0107<\/a>, Jayson Tatum<\/a>, and Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> show that offensive creation isn\u2019t limited to guards alone.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Johnson fits that two-way, creative archetype better than anyone on Atlanta\u2019s current roster.<\/p>\n

A Bargain for a Baller<\/p>\n

Having a forward like Jalen Johnson making $30 million a year is quite a luxury for the Atlanta Hawks.<\/p>\n

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In fact, it\u2019s pretty excellent for the franchise, as comparable stars with a similar play style often make around $40 million or more. Young forwards and big wings with All-Star capabilities who signed around the same time or slightly earlier include:<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s contract and age allow the Hawks to add\u00a0and develop young talent such as Zaccharie Risacher<\/a>, as well as future draft selections, without immediate pressure to make a big move or trade.<\/p>\n

The franchise possesses time to experiment with different supporting players, like shooting wings, defensive guards, rim-protecting bigs, all while Johnson continues to get comfortable with his game. Post-Trae Young trade, Johnson has already shown he can handle the creation and leadership, which in turn accelerates the rebuilding process without needing another star immediately.<\/p>\n

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Dyson Daniels<\/a> is not a name to forget, either. He continues to improve, further solidifying Atlanta\u2019s young core, both now and for the future. Rather than sacrificing future assets for immediate results, the Hawks should allow that young core to continue growing together, similar to how the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a>\u00a0developed an elite squad with young talent.<\/p>\n

A Hopeful Time Ahead With Jalen Johnson<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most important reason to build around Jalen Johnson is that the decision no longer requires assumptions.<\/p>\n

In other words, there is no gamble about what Johnson could become. Rather, it\u2019s about what he already is. Johnson is an All-Star, and he\u2019s establishing himself as one of the league\u2019s most productive young forwards.<\/p>\n

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Atlanta does not need another desperate move, nor another change in personnel. The franchise needs commitment. For the first time in years, Atlanta has a young star, young players around him, and assets to invest in.<\/p>\n

This offseason, the Hawks should embrace their future, one in which Jalen Johnson is the centerpiece.<\/p>\n

The post Atlanta Must Prioritize Its Future Around Rising Star Jalen Johnson<\/a> appeared first on The Lead<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For years, the Atlanta Hawks have searched for a franchise cornerstone. The Dejounte Murray Era failed. For years,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":753386,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3776],"tags":[676,208,3874,7,193,2878,206,576,123,677,2990,77,6,253,179,76,402,1261,476,494,1246],"class_list":["post-753385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-atlanta-hawks","tag-atlanta","tag-atlanta-hawks","tag-atlantahawks","tag-basketball","tag-cleveland-cavaliers","tag-dejounte-murray","tag-dyson-daniels","tag-evan-mobley","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-hawks","tag-jalen-johnson","tag-jayson-tatum","tag-nba","tag-nikola-jokic","tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","tag-orlando-magic","tag-paolo-banchero","tag-scottie-barnes","tag-toronto-raptors","tag-trae-young","tag-zaccharie-risacher"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116699234544527337","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/753385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=753385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/753385\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/753386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=753385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=753385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=753385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}