The NBA made waves when it implemented a rule that players must appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for post-season awards. That includes the All-NBA teams, which Atlanta Hawks star Jalen Johnson is a candidate for.
Though the rage against the 65-game rule is spreading, Johnson making the cut would have nothing to do with who may ultimately be ineligible to join him.
There's an unavoidably long list of great players who could be disqualified from All-NBA candidacy based on availability. For instance, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, and Joel Embiid have spent the 2025-26 season battling injuries and are already ineligible based on games missed.
The likes of Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, and Kawhi Leonard are painfully close to meeting the minimum, but are also walking the proverbial tightrope as they attempt to reach 65 games played.
Unfortunately, snubbing Cunningham, Edwards, and Leonard because of the 65-game rule would be a poor reflection of who the best players truly were in 2025-26. What's being lost in translation, however, is that not all players who will ultimately make it are undeserving because of who may not get the nod.
Johnson is at the forefront of that discussion as a player who has led the Hawks' resurgence and turned in a season that should make him a lock no matter who else is eligible.
Hawks' Jalen Johnson deserves All-NBA no matter who else is eligible
Johnson is currently averaging 22.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.6 three-point field goals made per game. He's doing so while shooting efficiently at a clip of .493/.349/.782, with an eFG% of .640 that sits well above the league average of .544.
In addition to being incredibly efficient as a volume scorer, Johnson is a prolific playmaker who has entered LeBron James territory with his proficiency as a passer.
Jalen Johnson is the youngest forward to record 500 AST in a season since LeBron in 2009. pic.twitter.com/r4b1IZ943H
— Real App (@realapp) March 26, 2026
Furthermore, Johnson is one of just two NBA players currently averaging at least 20.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game. The only other player who's hitting those marks is three-time MVP and All-NBA First Team favorite Nikola Jokic.
Even if one were to remove rebounds from the equation, Johnson would join fellow All-NBA candidates Cunningham, Luka Doncic, James Harden, and Jokic as the only players averaging at least 20.0 points and 8.0 assists per game.
Jalen Johnson has All-NBA statistics, team success, and overall quality
That alone puts Johnson squarely in the conversation for not just an All-NBA nod, but for being a lock to receive it. What takes his case over the top is that he's been the outright No. 1 player on a Hawks team that ranks among the best in the NBA during the second half of the season—after remaining relevant and floating around .500 before then.
Atlanta is 24-11 over its past 35 games, as well as 14-1 over its past 15, and has ranked No. 2 in the NBA in net rating since Feb. 22.
At the heart of that success has been Johnson, who has ushered in a new era by evolving into a top-tier all-around player. The Hawks have featured him as a scorer, playmaker, and rebounder, running a system that flourishes around him even when they aren't playing through him.
As such, the question beckons: If being the go-to scorer and playmaker for a team that's been at its best during the most important stretch of the season isn't enough for All-NBA, what is?