By: Griffin Jones
Jalen Johnson is a 6’8 24 year old star out of Duke. After being drafted by the Hawks, he has slowly developed his way from prospect to a superstar now preparing for his fifth season.
A huge part of that rapid development has to do with the departure of long time hawks star Trae Young. Following his departure this past season, Johnson led the Hawks to a 6th seed in the East, finishing the season on a historic run. Within this time, Johnson transitioned from a reliable co-star of second option into a potential superstar and leader of a great team; finishing with All NBA 3rd team honors.
When the playoffs came, so did the challenge for the Hawks as they were faced with the eventual NBA champions in the Knicks. The Hawks started off strong going up 2-1 and winning a game in New York. However it would only go downhill from here, as facing the future champions in your first ever playoff series as “The Guy” is no easy task. Johnson struggled as he was limited. Despite the loss, the Hawks can say something no other team can, they took the Knicks to 6 games. While this is no accomplishment, it’s still a testimony to Johnson’s performance and the team’s skill.
While a big, Johnson shows signs of incredible athleticism, playmaking, and solid shooting. All of these qualities lead me to believe JJ will do just fine as the main option.
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