While the Hawks ultimately fell in six games to the Knicks in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, Jalen Johnson didn't go down without a fight.
Johnson was able to cut through the New York Knicks' defense like a hot knife through butter time and time again - in fact, he did so with such a high level of efficacy that he was able to lead the entire league in a vital metric: turnovers on drives to the basket.
Johnson's league-low 1.6% turnover rate on drives during the postseason ranked best amongst all players, a whopping 0.9% better than 2nd (in other words, a 56% gap between Jalen and the rest of the league)!
Steep competition make Jalen's stat even more impressive
To contextualize what the former Duke Blue Devil was able to do, let's take a look at the competition he carved up.
The Knicks' wings are no joke - they proved that over and over again during the playoffs en route to a gentleman's sweep of the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart are all staunch defenders.
Compounding this are the Knicks' first-rate bigs - Karl-Anthony Towns' much-improved defensive wherewithal and Mitchell Robinson's towering size and length offer a mountain of a challenge, should their wings get blown by on the perimeter.
For the All-NBA award-earning Johnson to be able to rise to the challenge - and not only succeed, but do so at a higher level than any other player in the playoffs - is an offensive identity that the organization should lean into heading into the 2026-2027 season.
Jalen can leverage his superpower to Atlanta's advantage next season
Jalen Johnson clearly has the tools to be able to handle a large role in the Atlanta offense. The question is, how can the Hawks build around his superpower?
The good news: Onsi Saleh appears to be two steps ahead, as always. By surrounding Johnson with Kingston Flemings - a reliable point guard who not only provides excellent defense, but also calming ancillary offensive efforts on the other end of the floor, as well as Zubi Ejiofor, an undersized big that has flashed his elite athleticism and defensive instincts time and again, Johnson has two more immediate contributors that can help the Hawks rise up the standings.
Look for Atlanta to throw the ball in Johnson's hands more and more throughout next season, asking him to cut through other defenses the same way he was able to do so against New York in the postseason.
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