As most know by now, the Atlanta Hawks have parted ways with power forward John Collins after dealing him to the Utah Jazz earlier this offseason. He was previously the longest-tenured Hawk as he had been with the team since his rookie season in 2017-2018. After being on the trade block for the past few seasons, he was dealt in an underwhelming package that consisted of Rudy Gay (who was later waived) and a future second-round pick.
With Collins off the roster, a new opportunity for the young, soon-to-be, 3rd year forward Jalen Johnson has emerged. Drafted 20th overall in 2021, Atlanta has taken time with his development. Up until the Dejounte Murray trade last offseason, Johnson was the third power forward on the depth chart behind Collins and Danilo Gallinari.
As a result, Johnson spent much of his time in the G-League during his rookie season as he only appeared in 22 games. With Gallinari being traded to San Antonio, Johnson was now allowed to get minutes with the big league club. This time, he was on the roster for good and even appeared in 70 games last season.
Of those 70 games he played, he only started 6, but his role increased significantly when head coach Quin Snyder was brought in. As Quin was still learning the team and the rotation as a whole, he opted to give Johnson a bit of run, and he stuck with that for the rest of the season. In 13 games after Snyder was hired, Johnson played an average of 17.6 minutes per game, which was an increase from his 14.3 minutes per game from before.
Unfortunately, Johnson’s increased role saw rookie AJ Griffin receive a reduction in playing time as he received several DNPs and didn’t play a single minute in the playoff series vs Boston. With that declaration, Johnson saw a boost in minutes and production under Snyder.
Before his increased role, Johnson averaged 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds a game, as well as, only 28.4% from 3 on only 1.4 attempts per game. In the 13 games after his increased role on the team, he saw a jump to 7.8 points and 4.8 rebounds a game along with being a 30.4% shooter from 3 on 1.8 attempts per game.
Jalen Johnson’s impact goes far beyond the surface-level numbers.
If you watched Johnson play last season, you’d know that his mark on the game goes far beyond the stat sheet. It couldn’t be more exemplified than in the game vs the Miami Heat in the Play-In Tournament. In just 14 minutes, Johnson made an instantaneous impact on both ends of the floor.
In that game, Johnson had 3 steals, but he also exhibited some vision with 3 assists. That entire game was about the monster board work by Atlanta. Clint Capela had an insane 21 rebounds, but Johnson got 3 key offensive rebounds of his own. His imprint on the game is not always going to reflect on the stat sheet. Instead, it will be illustrated by his hustle and determination which every team needs.
Although Johnson has shown flashes of what he is capable of, his skillset and growing capabilities can make him an x-factor going into his 3rd season.
So how exactly can Johnson make an impact in the 2023-2024 season?
Jalen Johnson can make an impact for Hawks
It’s not set in stone, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Johnson was in line to start at the four this upcoming season. He’s going to battle trade deadline acquisition Saddiq Bey for the spot, but even if he doesn’t start, he should at the very least get even more playing time than before. If there’s a thing we already know, Johnson is a superb athlete and can fly when attempting dunks.
If there’s one thing Trae Young loves more than anything, it’s throwing lobs to his big men. According to PBP Stats (which measures the top passing-to-scoring combinations in the league), they found that Young and Capela connected for 152 assists (4th), and Young and Collins connected for 133 assists (9th).
For reference, Young and Johnson connected only 25 times last season. With Collins out of the picture, expect Johnson to be involved in a lot more Young pick-and-roll action. Johnson is as athletic as they come, so catching lobs should be a lot more frequent for him.
Including getting more opportunities to showcase the raw potential that is his inside game, his shooting should develop as well. Although still a work in progress, Snyder has encouraged Johnson (and Onyeka Okongwu for what it’s worth) to shoot more 3-point shots. For both of them, it’s still a work in progress. But floor spacing will be vital to both Johnson’s development and the Hawks’ success next season.
Having a big who can stretch the floor will do wonders for Young in particular. In that same article about Young and Murray, there was a section talking about turning defense into offense. To put it simply, Johnson loves to run when in the open floor.
With the skill set Johnson has already displayed plus the development of the raw areas of his game, it can be easy to see why Johnson might be the x-factor in his ever-growing role in Atlanta.
It is clear that Snyder likes what he has seen from Johnson and he should get to be even more impactful sharing the floor with Young.
It would not be surprising if Johnson were in the running for the Most Improved Player of the Year award this upcoming season.