Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson is averaging 22 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in his fifth NBA season, emerging as a potential All-Star after a career marked by setbacks. Johnson told Andscape that his breakthrough came from embracing the process and working with Lakers star LeBron James last offseason.
The 23-year-old was selected 20th overall by Atlanta in 2021 after leaving Duke mid-season. He played 12 games in the G League as a rookie and averaged just 2.2 points in 22 NBA games his first season.
“I didn’t understand how to look at it from a bigger picture point of view,” Johnson said of his time in the G League. “So, for me, being 18, 19 in the G League, all your friends see you get drafted first round and they are expecting you to play [in the NBA]. So, I let a lot of outside noises kind of distract me from what’s really important. So those first couple games, I was just kind of down there just to be down there.
“I think it was a couple weeks later and a switch just happened – ‘I needed to embrace this. This is my time to get minutes, get more reps underneath me.’ Considering I left school early and all that, it was good for me just embracing that whole process, the good and the bad of it. I had to check myself. It was kind of like a reality check. ‘You’re not who you think you are yet, so you got to go down here, you got to put in the work and you got to do your time down here, and when your time number gets called you’re going to be ready.'”
Johnson’s career turned around when Quin Snyder became Hawks head coach on Feb. 26, 2023. Snyder instilled confidence and freedom while coaching him “pretty hard,” leading to a breakthrough 2023-24 season averaging 16 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 56 games.
Johnson averaged 18.9 points and 10 rebounds through 33 games last season before a torn labrum required season-ending surgery. The Hawks finished 40-42 and were eliminated in the play-in tournament without him.
“I was in a tough spot, but those 36 games gave me the confidence that I would be right where I left off,” Johnson said. “It was hard leaving my team and the momentum we were building that season, especially coming off the [NBA Cup].”
Johnson worked out with James in Los Angeles during the offseason to improve his game.
“My time in the gym with him, I just enjoyed any knowledge he gave me,” Johnson said of James. “He just gave me little pointers. His work ethic, how he prepares, how he shows up before the workout and all that other stuff. I was really taking those small little pointers from him and just trying to implement it in my own routine. I was really just watching, man, just seeing how he moves and all that. It was great to have him around. I was blessed to be able to work with him.”
Johnson was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for Nov. 10-16 after averaging 24 points, 12 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 2.5 steals as Atlanta went 4-0. He has led the Hawks since guard Trae Young was sidelined Oct. 29 with a sprained MCL.
Atlanta awarded Johnson a five-year, $150 million contract extension in October 2024.
“Hard work really does pay off, and I’m a firm believer in that,” Johnson said. “One thing I learned about the NBA is not everybody wants to work. You get the money and you get the nice things and all that other stuff, but the work is what really separates the ones that want to be something in this league.”