Jalen Johnson ran the Hawks last season, putting up 22.5 points a night with 10.3 boards and 7.9 assists on 58.1% true shooting. To take the next step, he has to take better care of the ball and hit enough threes that defenses have to respect his jumper.
The Offense Wears His Number
Johnson played 72 games last season at 35.2 minutes a night, made All-NBA Third Team and earned his first All-Star nod. Once Trae Young was traded to Washington, the ball found Johnson more often, and the profile shows it: a 26.4% usage rate, a 32.5% assist rate and a 14.0% rebound rate. Very few forwards finish plays, create them and clean the glass all at once. He shot 48.9% from the field and 78.8% at the line, and his preseason picked up where he left off, with 20 at Indiana and then 20 with 14 boards in the 135-111 rout at Dallas.
Where the Margins Get Thin
All that control comes with 3.4 turnovers a game, and that number decides whether this team runs smoothly or stalls. The jumper is the other open question. He hit 35.2% on 4.7 attempts from deep, good enough to keep defenders honest but not enough to bend a defense. With him on the floor, Atlanta posted a 115.5 offensive rating and a 112.3 defensive rating, a 3.2 net that only modestly beats the team's 2.2 for the season. His defensive counting stats, 1.2 steals and 0.4 blocks, say he contributes there without anchoring anything.
The Five That Works
The group of Johnson, McCollum, Okongwu, Daniels and Alexander-Walker outscored opponents by 20.3 per hundred possessions across 30 games and 391 minutes. With Risacher in for McCollum, the margin shrank to +2.7 over 304 minutes, and the version with Krejci went -3.9 in 189 minutes. Johnson is the constant, so the results swing on who shares the floor with him. The contract pays $30.0M every season through 2029-30, the largest deal on a $198.5M payroll. The verdict is that Johnson has to be a playmaker who protects the ball, because turning a few of those giveaways into assists matters more than any extra scoring.
Is Jalen Johnson playing in the Hawks opener at Orlando?
Nothing is holding him out. He was cleared from his preseason rest designation on October 16 and is not listed among Atlanta's injuries.
How much is Jalen Johnson's contract with the Hawks?
He earns $30.0M per season from 2026-27 through 2029-30. It is the biggest deal on Atlanta's books.
