Jalen Johnson was in the midst of a second consecutive breakout season in January before suffering a season-ending torn left labrum. His injury derailed his All-Star hopes and the Atlanta Hawks’ chances of competing for a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference. The combination of athleticism, defensive versatility, ball-handling, playmaking, and shooting is hard to find in a 6-foot-9-inch power forward.
Johnson enters next season with high expectations on a Hawks team looking to compete near the top of the East. Based on the team improvement and Johnson’s track record, the fifth-year forward will vie for his first All-Star bid in the 2025-26 campaign.
Jalen Johnson’s All-Star Case For The 2025-26 Season
The Best Situation of his Career
Johnson averaged 18.9 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and shot 50% from the field last season. He garnered All-Star consideration before the shoulder injury limited him to just 36 games. Atlanta never had the depth to cover up the hole at starting power forward, but it improved the roster this summer, putting Johnson in an even better situation this fall.
Kristaps Porziņģis’ arrival and Onyeka Okongwu’s enhanced perimeter shot open up so much for Atlanta’s young star. Johnson played next to Clint Capela for the past two seasons. While the now Houston Rockets center was a strong rebounder and lob threat, his perimeter limitations clogged the paint. Capela could not space the floor, placing a ceiling on the Johnson-Young pick-and-roll. Johnson’s bread and butter is finishing strong above the rim off the roll or with a head of steam in transition. If Porziņģis or Okongwu spaces outside the arc, defenses will have to decide to leave capable 3-point shooters or try to stop Johnson’s ferocious rack attack.
JALEN JOHNSON ELEVATES AND SLAMS IT DOWN! pic.twitter.com/prXPS5fqKX
— NBA (@NBA) January 23, 2025
If defenses fail to bring timely weakside help, Johnson will punish them. The threat of Porziņģis’ shooting, Johnson’s finishing, and Trae Young’s floater puts opposing coaches in a tough situation.
Atlanta’s 23-year-old forward is one of the strongest players on the fastbreak, but his half-court offensive game is still growing. He shot 31.2% on 3.9 attempts from deep last season. His success as a secondary scorer can increase even more if he can break his defender down off the dribble. Johnson breezes by defenders when he has a head of steam. However, if he becomes a driving threat off a standstill dribble, the Hawks have another consistent paint breaker alongside Young. Johnson also reads the floor quickly and can make the right pass if defenses overhelp on his drives.
Several Injured All-Stars to Miss Out Next Season
Three All-Stars suffered torn Achilles tendons in the playoffs last season: Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard, and Tyrese Haliburton. Unfortunately, all three are likely to miss next season. However, this gives Johnson, who already appeared in All-Star conversations last year, a prime chance for selection. If he puts up close to the 20-10-5 numbers from last campaign, he certainly gives himself a great shot.
The Hawks come into the 2025-26 campaign with high expectations, looking to take a big step from their 40-win total from a season ago. Voters often take team success into account when deciding between candidates. This plays right into Johnson’s hands to achieve his first All-Star selection.
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