Jalen Johnson proves he no longer needed to be a co-star with ultra efficient night

A new era of Hawks basketball began Friday night. 

In the first matchup in nearly eight years with Trae Young not on the roster, the Atlanta Hawks dominated the Denver Nuggets 110-87.

There were plenty of storylines to follow in this one, and the Friday afternoon injury report only added to them. Despite not being listed the day before, Kristaps Porzingis (Achilles) and Zaccharie Risacher (knee) were ruled out for Atlanta’s important road matchup. 

This ruling had fans speculating: was a trade brewing? The timing was weird, for sure. Regardless, the Hawks needed to avoid all potential distractions and take care of business. Even without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, Denver is a talented, resilient team.

With both teams shorthanded, Atlanta had a great opportunity to capitalize off their previous win and build some legitimate momentum on the season. 

For Atlanta, Friday night marked the first official game of the Jalen Johnson era. He had already begun taking over this season, averaging 23.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. His leap into stardom all but confirmed Young’s inevitable departure.  

If the Hawks were going to start this era off right, they needed the new face of the franchise to step up and continue his stellar play. 

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Jalen delivered.

He wasted no time. While the offense wasn't exactly in perfect rhythm early, it didn't stop Johnson from making his presence felt.

His and Atlanta's first basket of the night was a three-pointer that was pulled with zero hesitation. It set the tone for what was an impressive all-around performance.

Once the first half was complete, it was clear that Johnson stuffing the stat sheet in his first real game as Atlanta's top option was inevitable. He had 15 points, two rebounds and two assists heading into the third quarter.

In the third frame, however, he was unable to maintain that same level of dominance. To be fair, nobody on the Hawks was.

Atlanta shot 6/21 from the field and 1/11 from three, getting outscored 13-25. Momentum appeared to be completely in the hands of the Nuggets. That is, until Onyeka Okongwu hit a wild three at the end of the quarter to flip the momentum in Atlanta's favor.

They never looked back, and Jalen Johnson led the way. In the final frame, he continued his incredibly efficient night, adding 12 points, four rebounds and three assists on 5/7 from the field and 2/2 from deep.

The final three he made couldn't have been more contested. The confidence in which he was playing with Friday night was refreshing.

He finished the game with an impressive 29 points, nine rebounds and six assists on a remarkable 12/18 from the field and 5/6 from three.

Routinely going at the shorthanded Nuggets proved to be a successful game plan. Sometimes calmness is the key to success on the court, and that was what allowed Johnson to have such a dominant night.

Reality has set in. Yes, Trae Young is gone, but the Hawks don't have to take any sort of step back. They can now truly ascend with Jalen Johnson at the helm.