The NBA community has overlooked Jalen Johnson at large for too long, but this could change this year. The fifth-year UNC product was on his way to his first All-Star appearance last season before he missed the back half of the season with a shoulder injury. Even when healthy, however, Atlanta’s middling record and Trae Young’s dominance as a creator have prevented Johnson from getting his flowers.
Johnson has had an excellent start to the season on the offensive end, and with Young sidelined for at least a month with an MCL sprain, Johnson has been thrust into the spotlight. ESPN recognized his potential as a star in their latest first-time All-Star predictions.
Johnson has been an incredibly impressive offensive engine without Young on the floor. He is scoring and passing at a level that is impossible to ignore, even if he can’t scale up the volume when given the keys to the offense. While the Hawks’ offense is certainly different without Young on the floor, Johnson is enough of a threat to allow the team to create opportunities almost entirely from his on-ball dominance.
Jalen can only be an All-Star if he improves his defense
But Johnson’s defense this year has been abysmal, which is truly inexplicable when looking at his track record. He’s never been an elite perimeter stopper as a one-on-one guy, but he has historically used his length and athletic ability to tally steals, blocks, deflections, and other general chaos on the defensive end.
Johnson hasn’t been effective in either role this year. The defense is significantly worse with him on the court, dragging the team’s defensive rating down the league’s standings without entirely making this difference up on the offensive side of the ball. The Hawks’ defense is in the ninth percentile in field goal attempts allowed at the rim and is below-average at stopping these looks. If Johnson is going to allow a party in the paint when he’s on the floor, the Hawks will struggle to win games.
He still looks to be the same athlete who has improved as a decision-maker on offense. This leads me to believe that the early defensive struggles stem from a lack of effort from Johnson, not a flawed player who will be a thorn in Atlanta’s side. Still, until he actually starts performing on this end, his offensive leap this season is less impactful than his devastating defensive drop-off.