The Jalen Johnson hype train is full-steam ahead

[Jamaaliver]

had some really nice plays against OKC

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[Jamaaliver]

JJ's ability (and willingness) to go isolation and abuse a mismatch in the post is huge.

No other big on this team has been capable of this consistently in years...

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[jayu70]

JJ's ability (and willingness) to go isolation and abuse a mismatch in the post is huge.

No other big on this team has been capable of this consistently in years...

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....and I also trust his ability to make a pass from the post.
Please sir, can I have some more?

[Jamaaliver]

....and I also trust his ability to make a pass from the post.
Please sir, can I have some more?

Hawks may need to unleash Jalen the way Paolo has been unleashed in Orlando.

Point forward. Isolation scorer.

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[Jamaaliver]

The kid has confidence, I'll give you that.

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[Jamaaliver]

Jalen Johnson is a keeper for Hawks



For five years, the Hawks have tried to draft a future All-Star to play alongside franchise point guard Trae Young. The best they could do is De’Andre Hunter, an OK starter. Now they finally did better with Jalen Johnson.

Johnson has provided an immediate boost since returning last week after a 14-game absence because of injury. He scored a career-high 24 points during the victory at Washington on Sunday. Johnson topped that with a team-high 28 points Wednesday at State Farm Arena as the Hawks beat the Thunder, one of the NBA’s better teams. Johnson was a bit player for two years after the Hawks drafted him 20th overall in 2021. Now he could get some votes for the NBA Most Improved Player award if he keeps it up and helps the Hawks (14-19) move up the Eastern Conference standings.

One reason they wobbled from late November through December is that Johnson was out with a wrist injury. They were 4-10 without Johnson, who can do everything they were missing. Johnson finishes strong at the rim and rebounds. He can play as a big wing (6-foot-9 with a 7-foot wingspan) or an athletic power forward. Johnson can handle pretty much any defensive assignment while guarding all areas of the floor. He’s unique among Hawks forwards for his ability to score and pass off the dribble.

“His, whether you call it playmaking or facilitating, I think he is getting more and more comfortable,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said after the victory over the Thunder. “And our team is getting more comfortable with him having the ball in his hand, whether in transition or in situations (like) tonight where they were coming to double (team) and trying to impact our guards. He’s capable of making plays and making plays for other people as well.

“You’ve seen him do that in practice settings. But I think his comfort and confidence doing that in games against a good team, that’s something that’s unique to him with his size and athleticism.”

Johnson is the type of two-way forward that all teams covet: big, versatile and skilled. He’s especially important to the smallish, guard-dominated and defensively challenged Hawks. Johnson leads the Hawks in defensive rebounding (6.7 per game), is tied for second in steals (1.2) and has the team’s best defensive rating (points allowed per possession when he’s on the floor).

Johnson is averaging 15.3 points per game as one of the more efficient scorers in the league. Per Cleaning the Glass, Johnson ranks first in points per shot attempt among forwards who’ve played at least 500 minutes. He’s converted 73% of his shot attempts at the rim, tied for fifth in that group. Johnson has improved his 3-point shooting, too, and now is making 42% of his nearly three attempts per game.

Johnson likely will end up as the best of the Hawks’ [more recent] draft picks even though he was selected the latest. He’s giving them more than Hunter (acquired with the No. 8 pick in 2019), Cam Reddish (No. 10 in 2019, traded in 2022) and Onyeka Okongwu (No. 6 in 2020). Johnson also has a higher ceiling than the two players the Hawks drafted most recently, AJ Griffin (No. 16 in 2022) and Kobe Bufkin (No. 15 in 2023). Johnson’s rapid improvement is a bright spot for the Hawks during a so-far disappointing season. There’s room for him to grow because he’s 22 years old with only 1,740 minutes played in the NBA.

The Hawks have been stuck in the middle for going on three years. To break free, they must make a significant trade for a veteran player before next month’s deadline. No deal should include Johnson unless the Hawks get back a high-level starter under contract for multiple seasons. Johnson’s rookie-scale contract expires after next season. To keep him beyond then, the Hawks either will have to fend off free-agent suitors or sign Johnson to a contract extension.

hey’ll have to shed the contracts of some high-priced players to do that and avoid paying the luxury tax. Hunter and Dejounte Murray are obvious candidates. Johnson is better than Hunter. If the Hawks trade Murray for a bigger guard or wing who’s a rugged defender, then Johnson can take on some of Murray’s scoring and playmaking duties.

Trading away Murray and increasing Johnson’s role also would help alleviate offensive stagnation late in games. There have been too many possessions with Murray and Young dribbling out the clock. The traps and blitzes that opponents deploy with big defenders wouldn’t be as effective with “point forward” Johnson as a primary option.

The Hawks finally found another potential star in the draft with Johnson. Keeping him for the long term and increasing his role should be a priority.

AJC.com

[Jamaaliver]

Jalen Johnson is the only player outside of Young deemed “untouchable,” according to Yahoo’s Jake Fischer, and it’s clear why. The breakout third-year forward has been the sole beacon of hope to come out of this season. Johnson presents a brand-new archetype for Young—and a chance for the star guard to evolve into something different.

Johnson can operate as athletic play finisher in the two-man-game, but he’s also arguably the second-best passer on the team (perhaps even the second-best player, full stop), capable of making plays in the short roll.

And making difficult corner-to-corner passes seem commonplace.

The allure of a Ben Simmons–esque point forward (who also shoots 3s at an above-average clip) is exactly the kind of catalyst that could shift how the team operates moving forward. At the very least, it could give the ol’ pick-and-roll a new lease on life. As Atlanta leans out its roster and refocuses on the future, it’ll be imperative to give Johnson as many on-ball creation reps as he can handle.

The Ringer

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[jayu70]

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[Geaux_Hawks]

For the first time since we started rebuilding, JJ has shown we have another stud to go with Trae. Now we just need to sort out the rest and trade for better fitting pieces. Moving forward with Trae/JJ as your #1 and #2 cornerstones, is a good foundation to build off of. If there was ever a young prospect to be a full blast homer, Jalen Johnson is the current young prospect to do it for.

[tbhawksfan1]

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Better numbers than JC ever put up and he has so much intangibles where JC had none. Keep feeding him

[tbhawksfan1]

Looks like we finally have another star to add to Trae

[CP War Hawks]

Jalen Johnson is the only player outside of Young deemed “untouchable,” according to Yahoo’s Jake Fischer, and it’s clear why. The breakout third-year forward has been the sole beacon of hope to come out of this season. Johnson presents a brand-new archetype for Young—and a chance for the star guard to evolve into something different.

Johnson can operate as athletic play finisher in the two-man-game, but he’s also arguably the second-best passer on the team (perhaps even the second-best player, full stop), capable of making plays in the short roll.

And making difficult corner-to-corner passes seem commonplace.

The allure of a Ben Simmons–esque point forward (who also shoots 3s at an above-average clip) is exactly the kind of catalyst that could shift how the team operates moving forward. At the very least, it could give the ol’ pick-and-roll a new lease on life. As Atlanta leans out its roster and refocuses on the future, it’ll be imperative to give Johnson as many on-ball creation reps as he can handle.

[url=https://www.theringer.com/nba/2024/1/1
0/24032424/trae-young-atlanta-hawks-trade-rumors]The Ringer[/url]

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Never heard of this writer, but he's pretty much spot on. Give him the job as team insider. JJ is the 2nd best passer on the team no cap. The evolve into a different pg because of JJ I can see what he's implying.

Keep finding these prototypes and Fields has already been on that track, particularly if you followed the past draft. Oh I think he's saying the two can be the Stoudemire+Nash partner.

[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

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Better numbers than JC ever put up and he has so much intangibles where JC had none. Keep feeding him

The Collins hate is strong nowadays. And so is the revisionist history. Collins was doing the same thing last January.

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[HMFFL]

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He has the mindset to succeed.

Sent from my SM-N975U using RealGM mobile app

[tbhawksfan1]

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Better numbers than JC ever put up and he has so much intangibles where JC had none. Keep feeding him

The Collins hate is strong nowadays. And so is the revisionist history. Collins was doing the same thing last January.

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No revisionism. Show me where JC ever had 4.2 assists....

I stopped liking JC when he turned down 4@90M. It was more than he was worth and his next contract was the end of the team's financial flex

[jayu70]

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[Jamaaliver]

First Hawk to do it since Josh Smith in 2010!!

[Jamaaliver]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

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[Jamaaliver]

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