Jalen Johnson officially became the face of the Atlanta Hawks after they traded Trae Young last season.
The 24-year-old earned his first All-Star and All-NBA selections. Johnson posted career numbers across the board in 2025-26 and has the perfect opportunity to expand his game even further next season.
Atlanta's roster has changed this summer. It brought in Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins, while trading away Zaccharie Risacher, among other moves. However, Johnson's role and expectations to be the Hawks' franchise star will remain the same in 2026-27. He now has a full offseason to train with this role in mind - something he did not have last summer.
Jalen Johnson unexpectedly took the reigns last season
President of Basketball Operations Onsi Saleh built the 2025-26 Hawks with a certain vision in mind. He traded for Kristaps Porziņģis, taking advantage of the Boston Celtics looking to shed salary. Porziņģis and Young were set to lead Atlanta's offense, but this vision never materialized.
Porziņģis could not stay healthy due to illness and Achilles tendinitis. He only played 17 games for the Hawks before they traded him to the Golden State Warriors for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield.
Young sustained a right MCL sprain on Oct. 29, 2025, and missed seven weeks before being traded for Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum. Both stars missed most of the 2025-26 campaign, forcing Atlanta to move in a different direction.
It certainly looked like the Hawks were headed for an extremely disappointing season, but Johnson stepped up in a big way. He did not expect to become Atlanta's first option less than halfway through the 2025-26 season, but he assumed the role and thrived, especially on the offensive end. The star forward led the Hawks to their best record at 46-36 since the 2015-16 campaign.
Johnson averaged career-highs of 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 1.2 steals. He was used to playing more off the ball when Young ran the offense, but he adjusted his role mid-season and never looked back. Now, the All-Star has a full summer to train for this role, and that could be scary for opposing squads.
Johnson's defense can improve as he trains for a first-option role
Johnson has all the physical tools to be an impactful NBA defender. He can jump out of the gym, move his feet quickly for his position, and bump offensive players off their spots with his strength.
However, the 6-foot-8 forward struggled defensively last season and must improve on that end of the floor for the 2026-27 campaign. Part of the reason may have been that he had to rapidly adjust to a heavier offensive workload last season.
Johnson carried a career-high 27.0% usage rate in 2025-26. This number skyrocketed from the 22.5% he posted in the season prior. He went from the third option to the first in a matter of months, and that adjustment takes time.
It also can take a toll on the body, leading to sacrifices on one end of the floor. This may have been the case for Johnson, but the Hawks need him to get back on track defensively to reach their goals.
Johnson had shown flashes of weakside rim protection and versatile, switchable defense in his first three NBA campaigns. He enters this summer healthy, knowing his role for a Hawks team looking to ascend further in the Eastern Conference.
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