We’re witnessing the dawn of a new era in Atlanta, Georgia, and Hawks star Jalen Johnson is the reason for the culture shift. Throughout the history of players to don the black & red, there’s only two Hawks who had more potential.
Dominique Wilkins & Bob Petit are both on the list of the 75 greatest players, and now the stage is set for Johnson to have an amazing career in Atlanta as well. On Sunday evening at 6PM, Maria Taylor and her hall of fame co-hosts revealed the All-Star reserves during NBC’s broadcast of Sunday Night Basketball.
In poetic fashion, the Georgia native read Jalen’s name off the cue card and the panel of Hall of Famers commended the rising 24-year old for his first selection. The PR department recorded Jalen’s live reaction and after the realization set in, the first-time All-Star expressed gratitude to the city of Atlanta.
“Feeling crazy, excited, blessed, thankful [it’s] a whole lot of emotions,” Johnson said. “I’m super excited to go out to Los Angeles and represent Atlanta, Atlanta fans, Hawks fans, I appreciate you guys for sticking with me through this journey. It’s only up from here, so I appreciate you guys, much love always.”
Shortly after Taylor read the card, 8x All-Star Vince Carter shared a conversation that he shared with Johnson recently. Carter’s sentiment was the perfect summary of this pivotal year in Johnson’s career and the Hawks’ franchise.“
“I’m happy for him, I had a brief conversation with him [Jalen] because I’m trying to work with him to be in that Dunk Contest,” Carter said. “ So, Jalen if you’re listening, congratulations number one, keep doing your thing, you’re getting your opportunity to obviously be an All-Star, but also a franchise leader, so this is well deserved and this gonna do nothing, but build his confidence moving forward.”
On January 7th, The world witnessed General Manager Onsi Saleh trade longtime centerpiece Trae Young, largely due Johnson’s emergence. Saleh felt confident rolling the dice on trading Young, and the gamble has paid off with roster flexibility, which they will use to build around Jalen.
The only hesitation stemmed from Jalen’s durability, but eight triple doubles later, it’s apparent that he’s stronger compared to last season. Adding more muscle has turned him into a highlight machine, dunking on defenders and absorbing contact at the rim. He is shooting 49.9% from the field, and his shot selection has only improved with his spike in usage.
It’s clear that it’s been an emotional year in Atlanta, and the timeline of events has created a rite of passage for Jalen. He passed every test needed to become a number one option in the NBA, and now the Hawks front office can move forward with confidence, knowing they still have an All-Star leading the franchise.
Stepping Into The Jalen Johnson Era.
Most NBA front offices today want to build around a forward, if possible. Even if a point guard is a franchise player, the upper echelon are all 6’5 or above. NBA Finals runner-up Tyrese Haliburton (6’5), reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (6’6), and potential MVP Cade Cunningham (6’6) are all taller guards who use their size as an advantage. It was an unfortunate reality that the Hawks dealt with for years, as Young struggled to guard the All-Star trio.
Passing the torch to Johnson has unlocked a new level of potential for the franchise. Jalen is the epitome of what Saleh is building in Atlanta. The front office is establishing a roster of size and length, with players who adopt a team-first mindset.
Onsi Saleh is reconstructing the roster mid-season, with the recent trade of Vit Krejci for Center Duop Reath from the Portland Trail Blazers. At the time of the trade on Sunday morning, four trades had been executed since September. The Hawks were involved in three of these moves. Even though Reath is out for the season, the 6’9 Center has an incredible 7’1 wingspan and could be an intriguing piece to add to a center rotation that has lacked quality depth.
Portland’s trade package included two second-round picks along with the Australian-South Sudanese center, making the trade an excellent move for the future. It brings Atlanta’s total to seven second-round picks, all of which will be used to build around Johnson. The capital will be used in the draft or in future trade packages to acquire a player.
It’s encouraging to see this much activity from the front office, knowing Atlanta’s reputation in sports culture. Hawks ownership didn’t build around Young until the very end, and they can’t make the same mistake with Johnson.
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