One word.
That is all that it took for Jalen Johnson to sum up his sentiments after inking his five-year, $150 million contract extension.
“Home,” Johnson – next up in Soaring Down South’s player profile series – shared in an Instagram story, captioning an image of himself signing his contract alongside Hawks principal owner and governor Tony Ressler and general manager Landry Fields.
— Josh Buckhalter (@JoshGBuck) October 22, 2024
Jalen Johnson 2024-25 player profile: Rising star at ‘home’ with Hawks
2023-24 stats: 16.0 PPG/8.7 RPG/3.6 APG/1.2 SPG
2024-25 projection: 22.0 PPG/9.0 RPG/4.0 APG/1.5 SPG
Johnson is certainly capable of averaging a double-double. But with more attention on him as the Hawks’ second option behind Trae Young – and oftentimes the first option in transition – as well as him taking on a greater defensive burden, a more modest projection is in order.
That being said, Johnson should also be effective as a scorer, making his production that much more valuable for the Hawks.
The big question for Johnson has been durability.
He entered the league having left school at Duke after suffering an injury. And he was plagued by a wrist ailment and a nagging ankle injury in 2023-24. The wrist injury was the result of a tough fall after Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma fouled him.
The ankle issue was serious enough for Johnson to switch shoes and don braces for the upcoming season.
Therein, though, lies the most encouraging part about Johnson.
Jalen Johnson’s work ethic could lead to superstardom
“Jalen Johnson embodies the characteristics we look for as an organization, both on and off the court,” Hawks GM Landry Fields said via the team’s website on October 21. “He has shown continuous improvement each year and has the character and the work ethic to continue to grow his game. He has developed into a significant part of our team and we’re thrilled to continue his development in Atlanta.”
“Atlanta is where I want to be, there’s no doubt about that. I feel like we are building something 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 here and I want to be a part of it.”
— FanDuel Sports Network South (@BallySportsSO) October 22, 2024
Jalen Johnson comments on his five-year, $150 million contract extension🔊 pic.twitter.com/UzBpYFJdhi
Great things happen when talent meets work ethic, and Johnson has proven to have both, even when it means being honest about himself. Taking responsibility for keeping himself on the floor is a perfect display of just that.
Johnson was a top-five talent coming out of college.
He slipped to the Hawks at No. 20 overall in 2021 because of character concerns in addition to those about his durability.
Johnson has quelled all of those doubts and now seemingly stands on the precipice of becoming the league’s next breakout star. That’s great news for the Hawks now since they have locked him in long-term before he takes that leap.
It is also good for them down the road because, if they can keep him healthy, the sky is the limit.