Jalen Johnson #1 of the Atlanta Hawks goes up for a dunk during the first half against the Dallas Mavericks (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
On a night in which the Atlanta Hawks paid tribute to the late, great Dikembe Mutombo, Jalen Johnson started the game out with a bang.
Reading Naji Marshall’s eyes from the moment he crossed half-court, the 6-foot-9, 220-pounder intercepted his pass and had nothing but daylight ahead.
Casually, in front of Hawks greats, Johnson busted out a casual windmill that caught Dominique Wilkins and Josh Smith’s attention. He should be getting yours too.
Fresh off signing a five-year, $150 million contract extension just one month ago, Johnson’s coming out party is over.
It’s time to throw him a new one.
“I think he's doing a good job,” Hawks teammate DeAndre Hunter told RG on Wednesday morning at Hawks shootaround. “He's still playing his game. He's never out there forcing anything. I always thought he was super talented, so I'm glad he's getting to show that now.”
“From what I've been seeing, it's his work ethic,” Clint Capela added to RG. “Obviously, everybody's seeing that today, but I've seen since his rookie year the work ethic, always coming to the gym twice a day, even at night, always making sure that his craft is on point, and I think that it really pays off today. I can see that.”
Jalen Johnson: In A League Of His Own?
Through 18 games, Johnson is scoring 20.1 points on 16.1 attempts per game, both career highs. He’s also corralling 10.3 rebounds and dishing out 5.2 assists a night.
Only three other players in the league can say they’re accomplishing the same: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Domantas Sabonis.
None of them, except Johnson, can say they’re averaging a block and steal on top of that.
And not only is he averaging the most minutes on his team (36.4, which ranks 11th in the NBA), but Johnson is also leading the Hawks in two-point tries (11.4) and defensive boards (8.4, ninth in the NBA) per game.
As his playing time has increased, so has his usage. More responsibility means more time with the ball in his hands and, in turn, more confidence from Atlanta as an organization.
“It's just playing basketball, trusting my teammates and just letting everything come naturally,” Johnson told RG. “You don't want to force nothing. I don't really believe in that too much. I've got coaches and teammates that believe in me doing what I'm capable of, so that's what I'm focused on.”
Earning The Atlanta Hawks’ Trust
Entering Friday, Johnson ranks second in the NBA both in total touches (1,725) and passes made (1,313). He’s feeding the ball to his teammates over 20 times per game more than he did last year.
“It's just trusting my teammates, my coaches trusting me and just good ball movement at the end of the day,” Johnson said. “I think that's what it's a product of.”
Additionally, Johnson is running the floor like a track star, averaging 2.88 miles per game behind Mikal Bridges and Keegan Murray.
“It's definitely helped us having kinda like a bigger guard out there,” Hunter said. “He can see the floor, he pushes the ball in transition, he rebounds the ball. He kinda does everything for us. Him having that role, him being able to take on that responsibility is big for us.”
“He makes the right decisions and he's showed that he's capable of doing that,” Capela added. “He's capable of pushing the ball, finishing at the rim, finding his teammates at a high level, at a high rate. He's proving it, so I'm not even surprised to see that.”
Most of his work is being done above the break on the catch. Whether he’s going straight to the bucket or playmaking off penetration, Johnson is making defenses have to guard him as soon as he gets a hold of the rock.
“That's just how I play the game. That's what's fun,” Johnson said. “That's what opens up my game and allows me to be myself.”
“It's something new for him having as many touches, especially because he's getting it in a little different places this year than he did last year,” Hunter added. “But you can tell he worked on his game, and he's become more comfortable with having the ball. He's just gonna continue to get better and better at that.”
Capela said that it’s helped Atlanta “big time.”
“Just a guy like him to be able to play with so much confidence, drive to the basket, dunk on people, make threes, make plays for other guys,” Capela said. “It's been very high level for our team. It's been getting our team to a different scale.”
As the season has moved along, Snyder has noticed the ball sticking less with him.
“He has an excellent feel for the game and being aware of reading the court, reading his defender, but reading multiple defenders,” Snyder said. “He’s capable of doing that before he gets the ball, where ‘I’m open, take my shot,’ instead of hesitating and then reading. ‘I’ve got a closeout, attack the closeout. I’ve got somebody open in the corner, swing it.’
“He has the ability to do those things. And that being something that he continued to recognize as important when he catches, he doesn’t give an advantage back and the game just gets easier for him. So that’s kinda applicable to a lot of areas.”
Only Scratching The Surface
Citing his coach’s words from just last month, Johnson is far from a finished product at 22 years old. That should excite Atlanta’s fan base tremendously.
“I’m always on him about his defense. He knows that,” Snyder said. “I think that’s the part of it for him that he’s gotta continue to just focus and get better in that area — like any young guy. As you’re playing in this league over the course of time, when you’re taking on the matchups that he’s taking on, that’s something that’s really important. And I know it’s important to him.”
Johnson’s next steps give Capela and Hunter plenty of optimism regarding what more he can become.
“Just consistency,” Capela said. “He's gonna be better by shooting threes, by finishing at the rim getting stronger, by finding a way to find his teammates even more often and more consistently. That's why I think his ceiling's gonna be even higher.”
“He's young, so he can get better in everything honestly,” Hunter added. “He still has a lot of room to grow. I think overall he can just keep expanding his game like he has, and he's gonna continue to reach new heights.”
Asked what he learned from last year that he’s been applying to Year 4, Johnson expressed his patience and that it’s a long season.
“I've got to stay focused on the little things and try to get Ws,” Johnson said. “I'm just trying to play as consistent as possible, be as much of a help to this team as possible and try to get wins.”
As grounded as he is, it’s hard not to notice the flare and flash when Johnson is on the court.
“He's an athletic freak. It's crazy,” Capela said. “It's been amazing to see his growth, and I even think that his ceiling can be even higher.”
“I'm used to it. I've been seeing it for years,” Hunter added. “Definitely new to people who haven't seen it, but that's just how he plays. He's always been a good passer and obviously been super athletic.”
Before the end of the first half against the Dallas Mavericks, Johnson sniffed out a deflection and steal. Advancing the ball past mid-court, he delivered a smooth behind-the-back pass to Trae Young, then got it back for an easy alley-oop finish in one of the most textbook fastbreaks of the season.
Drawing oohs and aahs from the home crowd at State Farm Arena and NBA enthusiasts worldwide, it’s a prime example of this game being second nature to him.
Building off his highlight-reel night two nights beforehand, the 22-year-old had a nearly identical play that culminated with a slam on a feed from Young, one of four dunks on the evening as the Hawks snapped their losing streak against the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road.
Johnson’s work with the second unit got the team out of an early hole and provided the juice necessary to spearhead a comeback versus the NBA’s top record-holder. He had 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to go with a block and a steal.
We can expect more where that came from.
“I mean, if you watch basketball and you understand basketball at a high level, you appreciate what I can do,” Johnson said.
Spencer Davies has covered the NBA and the Cleveland Cavaliers as a credentialed reporter for the past nine seasons. His work has appeared on Basketball News, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, FOX Sports, HoopsHype, CloseUp360, FanSided and Basketball Insiders among others. In addition to his work in journalism, he has been a senior editor, a digital production assistant, social media manager and a sports radio anchor and producer.
