The Atlanta Hawks are no longer built to primarily accommodate Trae Young. This is quickly becoming Jalen Johnson's team, and that's a shocking reality for everyone to begin to understand.
Young has missed the last month for Atlanta, and things have continued to change in his absence. Johnson has been carrying the offense while Trae recovers, and the Hawks have put together an 11-6 record while he's been away.
Atlanta's offense frankly hasn't skipped a beat since losing their star point guard. Johnson is averaging around 23 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists on highly elite efficiency, which is the exact statistical profile of a modern franchise star.
The ability of Jalen to play downhill, guard multiple positions, and close games has made him the team’s most reliable two-way presence. Atlanta’s coaching staff has increasingly put the ball in his hands late in games, which ultimately signals a quiet but unmistakable shift in who the offense is being built around.
Incredibly, since Young has left the lineup, the Hawks' offense has only become more efficient, less turnover-prone, and more balanced. You wouldn't have expected that after losing one of the greatest pick-and-roll masters in the Association, and yet here we are. When a team thrives without its supposed franchise cornerstone, everyone in the building notices, and particularly the front office.
The Hawks are thriving with Jalen Johnson as the centerpiece
The system Quin Snyder is emphasizing no longer caters primarily to the strengths of Trae Young. The Hawks are now prioritizing pace, movement, size, and switchability. Johnson fits Snyder’s modernized system far more naturally: he plays downhill, makes quick reads, and defends at a much higher level.
Atlanta's offensive flow now looks less predictable and less reliant on one player with Johnson functioning as the hub. And instead of leaning into high-volume shooters and rim-rolling bigs like they had in the past, the Hawks have invested in stronger defenders and multi-positional creators.
Around the league, rival team executives increasingly believe Atlanta would listen to serious offers for Young, and that's something that would have been unthinkable not too long ago. But the thing is, Johnson’s growth is exposing what Atlanta has long tried to ignore about Trae: he remains an elite shooter and passer, but his defensive limitations and dependency on a tailored system make him harder to build around.
Jalen Johnson is a younger and more versatile player, and he gives Atlanta a guy they can build around no matter how the league evolves. The Hawks are quietly accepting that their timeline aligns more naturally with Johnson than with Young.
The “brutal reality” here is not that Trae has declined or that he's no longer good. It's simply the reality that the organization may no longer see him as the centerpiece of their future.