When the Atlanta Hawkstraded Trae Youngto the Washington Wizards for guards C.J. McCollum and Cory Kispert earlier this month, it signaled the end of an era.
Drafted fifth overall in 2018 — as part of a trade that allowed the Dallas Mavericks to select Luka Doncic — Young made four All-Star teams with the Hawks, and even led the team to the conference finals in 2021, becoming the face of the organization.
While trading away Young closed the book on an entertaining but ultimately unfulfilling period of Atlanta basketball, it also cleared the way for a new franchise cornerstone to write his own story.
The Jalen Johnson era is here.
"My mentality doesn't change," Johnson, the Hawks' 24-year-old forward, told NBC News about taking over the No. 1 role in the wake of Young's departure. "I just want to continue to grow with my teammates, I want to continue to stack wins, and I know we all have the same goal at the end of the day, and that's make the playoffs. I'm excited about the new guys that we brought in, and I'm excited to continue to build with them."
Atlanta selected Johnson 20th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, and he's since exploded into one of the more unique players in the league. After barely playing his rookie season, Johnson averaged only 5.6 points in 14.9 minutes per game in his second year. By 2024, however, he was averaging 16.0 points.
Last season, before a shoulder injury cut his campaign short, Johnson was scoring 18.9 points a night while also adding 10 rebounds and five assists. Now, 40 games into his fifth season, Johnson is posting 22.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 8.0 assists a game while shooting over 51% from the field, including over 35% from three.
The only other player hitting those benchmarks? Three-time MVP Nikola Jokić.
"I don't think it was ever a doubt that I was an NBA player. I just kind of knew my process and my journey would be a lot different than I had hoped," Johnson said of his long rise to where he is now. "And once I realized that and put my pride to the side, I focused on putting the work in each and every single day. I didn't try to look too far ahead, I didn't try to dwell on anything in the past, I just control the things I can control."
In many ways, Johnson is the archetype of what NBA general managers are looking to build their team around. He has size — a 6'8", 219-pound frame — and athleticism. He can shoot, jump high, run fast, pass and defend. While Johnson doesn't zero in on one player in terms of a comparison, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James recently offered up a historical parallel.
"Scottie Pippen, man," James said on a recent episode of his "Mind the Game" podcast when discussing who Johnson reminded him of. "And obviously, he has a long way to go. But as far as the talent, you look at a guy with long arms, 6'9 ", 6'10", runs like a deer, super athletic. He's improved his outside touch."
Added James: "One thing about our league is it's all about confidence and opportunity. Once you take advantage of that opportunity and your confidence continues to grow, you start to feel like, 'I can do this every night.'"
Both James and his co-host, former two-time MVP point guard Steve Nash, agreed Johnson can be a perennial All-Star.
It's not only James praising Johnson, but opposing coaches have also taken notice. Johnson has seen this season how teams have begun defending him differently, throwing a wider variety of defensive coverages at him in an attempt to slow him down.
"When you're being guarded different than you were in your previous years, obviously it's an adjustment, but it's been fun to go back, look at film, see how we can get better, and figure out ways to continue to attack and be effective at the same time," Johnson said.
In addition to earning him plaudits, Johnson's on-court improvement has changed the trajectory of the Hawks. The team traded away Young and his $46.3 million salary and now has more flexibility to build a consistent winner. Johnson, who is signed through 2030, figures to be in the middle of whatever comes next.
What this season made clear was that Young wasn't making life easier for Johnson. When the two shared the court, Atlanta was outscored by 12 points per 100 possessions. When Johnson played without Young, the Hawks broke even and improved significantly defensively.
Next summer, the post-trade Hawks could have as much as $40 million in cap space to add players who are better fits around Johnson. Atlanta also owns the first-round pick of the New Orleans Pelicans, who enter Monday as the worst team in the NBA — meaning the Hawks could end up with the top selection in a loaded draft.
Johnson's success has come in spite of stops and starts that threatened to derail his career.
After the lack of playing time in his first couple seasons, Johnson eventually became a full-time starter. In 2024-2025, he had started all 36 of his appearances and appeared to be on track to win Most Improved Player before surgery on a torn labrum in his left shoulder ended his season prematurely.
That meant Johnson couldn't even work on his game this past summer until he finished his rehab. It wasn't until late June that he finally got back on a basketball court, and his trainer, Chris Johnson, could help him add to his repertoire. The two focused on basics — literally starting with ball handling before graduating to jump shots and layups — before crunching film and ramping up training in July.
Said Atlanta general manager Onsi Saleh when speaking with reporters earlier this month: "Jalen's game has evolved so much, and he's doing some amazing things on the court. Most importantly, I think he's making his teammates better as well."
When pressed on his goals, Johnson makes it clear he is only worried about team success, saying he hopes the Hawks can make a playoff push. As for his own play, which has quickly made him one of the unique stories in the league and a franchise gamechanger, Johnson — who averaged a triple-double in the month of December — always expected his love for the game to pay off.
"Humbly, I don't think it's surprising, because I know the work I put in, and I know the trust that my teammates and coaches have in me," he said of his breakout season.
He added: "At the end of the day, this is truly what I love, and I know when you truly love something, you're gonna put in the work for it, and even if you don't see the results right away, you're gonna continue to do it, to the best of your ability and I just stuck with that. I'm excited to stay consistent with my work and see where it takes me."
