In the very disappointing 2023-24 season of the Atlanta Hawks, there is a player who has emerged as the only great satisfaction of the Falcons: Jalen Johnson. After a real statistical explosion, the strong winger must confirm this year and climb even higher.
An explosive 2023-24 season
Jalen Johnson was one of the players – if not the player – who improved the most last season. The young chick has fledged. A leap into the void which is felt in its stats:
- Jalen Johnson in 2022-23: 5.4 points, 4 rebounds, 1.2 assists in 14.9 minutes
- Jalen Johnson in 2023-24: 16 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists in 33.7 minutes
A magnificent development, especially in scoring where the young bird has almost tripled his points average. If this progress can be explained by JJ’s athletic qualities or by his ability to attack the circle, the power forward has also shown that he can be skilled at 3-points, as evidenced by his nice 35% in the exercise last season. In short, in the space of a year, Jalen Johnson has become the perfect power forward modern, athletic and skillful. What more could you ask for?
If he wasn’t in the MIP race, it’s only because JJ didn’t play enough matches. Only 56 games on the clock last season, handicapped by an ankle injury which prevented him from playing in the Play-In Tournament. Bad luck for the piou-pious, this absence was detrimental leading to the elimination of Atlanta.
There is no doubt that Jalen Johnson reached a milestone last year. This exceeded level could be explained by his tenure in the Hawks’ 5. A place in the starting five of ATL which he quickly acquired to the delight of Quin Snyder, and fans of the Hawks franchise.
“His versatility is truly unique. When he played his best basketball last season, he let the game come to him. When you can shoot, pass and drive, it gives you the chance to do that, to impact the game depending on the situation during the match.” –Quin Snyder
Asked Quin what does he expect to see as far as improvement from Jalen Johnson this season.
Says that defensively is where he can make the biggest impact, but also talks about how he gets his teammates involved on offense pic.twitter.com/FGl0Z5kTZH
— Malik Brown (@_MalikATL) https://twitter.com/_MalikATL/status/1840751788334461395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
A player who weighs on Atlanta’s results
We only realize the value of someone once they are no longer there. That saying has never been more true for the Hawks without Jalen Johnson.
In his absence, out of 26 games, Atlanta lost 17 for only 9 victories. With JJ, it’s 27 wins for 29 losses, or almost 50% wins. In this area, he is the most valuable of the Hawks, even ahead of Trae Young.
In addition to being a strong scorer in the making, Jalen Johnson is above all a good defender. An important element in a team which is really not known for its defensive solidity. All the elements are therefore there to see JJ become a major player in the Hawks squad over the coming years.
Other good news is that with the departure of Dejounte Murray, the power forward’s offensive responsibilities should further increase. It is clearly not impossible to see him pass the 20-point average mark and hope to recover the MIP that he did not have last year. Well, the mission promises to be difficult given that if Jalen Johnson reproduces the same statistical evolution as last year, he would be squarely among the best position 4 in the League. This represents a big step forward. But the offensive potential is there!
Jalen Johnson: the present and future of the Hawks
The Hawks are at a crossroads after the transfer of Dejounte Murray. Trae Young remains the boss but we can’t rule out a scenario in which Ice Trae is traded in the future to really begin a rebuild. Regardless, Jalen Johnson is indeed a player who counts today and will count tomorrow for the Aiglons. He is young and has more than promising potential. If this season does not convince the front office, Ice Trae could be traded to another franchise, giving the keys to the team to JJ.
However, if the leader stays, the duo he forms with his strong winger is more than complementary. The mischievous elf has a great partner to complete alley-oops, but not only that. Jalen Johnson has great creative potential with an average of 3.6 assists last season. A figure which has, again, tripled compared to the previous season. Finally, as mentioned above, JJ can become a great 3-point trigger. Enough to offer great spacing options and leave room in the painting for a dominant pivot. For the moment, it is Clint Capela who is the sheriff of the Falcons racket, but he could be replaced by a more efficient position 5 or the young Onyeka Okongwu who is just waiting to progress.
With the young Frenchman Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson can form a very versatile defensive duo capable of acting as defensive anchors for the coming years of Atlanta.
In short, Jalen Johnson belongs in Georgia and nowhere else.
An extension coming for JJ?
Since the beginning of this article, we’ve been buzzing about Jalen Johnson’s potential – rightly so – but at some point, we’re going to have to extend him.
October 21 will be a date to watch closely for Atlanta. For what ? Because this is the deadline to offer Jalen Johnson an extension. If no agreement is reached by then, Johnson will be a restricted free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season, which means the Falcons will have to match all outside offers if they want to keep their bird .
An option that could pose a problem for the Hawks at the dawn of an era where each franchise owner will be closer to their money than ever. Atlanta would perhaps benefit from extending Jalen Johnson as quickly as possible, before a new season where he could significantly progress on an individual level. However, the Johnson camp is already aiming for a maximum extension, which perhaps explains why the Hawks have not yet extended it…
In the end, the Hawks will probably have to bet big to keep Jalen Johnson in the long term given the man’s talent and potential.
