Trae Young aside, Jaylen Johnson shines as the Hawks’ boss

The Young-Porzingis duo has been heralded as the Hawks’ new attraction. Finally, it is Jalen Johnson who carries the franchise, well supported by the guards Dyson Daniels etc Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

At 23, the winger has already shown surprising maturity over the past two years. And his torn labrum in his left shoulder, which occurred after 36 games last season, now appears to be a thing of the past.

This campaign, Jalen Johnson is simply Atlanta’s best scorer, rebounder and passer. Tree Young’s absence only emphasized his importance: in the last 11 games, he is averaging more than 23 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Circumstances pushed him to take a leading role.

“I’m more who I am and I try to keep everybody on top of everything. This is the biggest change. But I let my game dictate that. I don’t try to do too much. I can’t do what Trey does. I don’t try to emulate him in any way. I just have to keep playing my game, being who I am, being able to do everything.”, he told Andscape.

Quinn Snyder, Trigger

If Jaylen Johnson is in the spotlight today, his path to the NBA was not obvious. Aside from the shoulder injury, the winger spent time in the G-League during his rookie season before finding a spot in the rotation. The time and investment paid off in the end.

“There’s no need to rush anything. If you do it and trust your ‘process’, if you work hard without saying anything, while letting your actions speak for themselves, then it becomes a matter of time “, he continued. “Slowly you start to see yourself progressing and you take all the little steps. And then at some point your stats improve. Everything falls into place. I know my game and I know the effort I put into it”.

The trigger also came from Quin Snyder, who gave him confidence and supported him at every level, until he became the complete player he is today, with still huge room for improvement.

“Quinn was really the guy who believed in me,” he admitted. “I don’t see all of this happening if he didn’t give me that freedom to be myself. And I know I still have his trust.”

Since Trae Young’s injury, Atlanta has been pretty good with seven wins in eleven games, and Jalen Johnson is no stranger to that. The Hawks will now have a chance to continue with struggling opponents: After New Orleans tonight, it’s Charlotte and then Washington.

How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.