Thirty-one games into the NBA season, and Hawks forward Jalen Johnson has strung together game after game to bolster his case for his first NBA All-Star nod.
The fourth-year forward has impacted the Hawks in multiple ways, and the team is noticeably better when he plays versus when he does not. Johnson has put up career averages while playing in 29 games, scoring 19.8 points, grabbing 10.3 rebounds, dishing 5.5 assists and picking up 1.3 steals per game.
He’s one of only four players this season to average at least 19 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists per game. The other three are Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Kings center Domantas Sabonis, and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“Oh, yeah, to be put in that category already,” Hawks center Clint Capela said. “It says that how special he is, how special he can be during all those years. He’s so young. So to be put in categories with guys like Giannis, Jokic, Sabonis, it’s pretty incredible. Those guys were All-Stars multiple times. Those three guys are the main parts and are definitely top two‚ top one of their team. And he’s shown that he could definitely be one of those guys. And consistency proves, so he’s one of them.
Each of those three players has put together multiple All-Star seasons. Jokic averaged 20.1 points and 10.8 rebounds in his first All-Star season after putting up 18.5 points and 10.7 rebounds the previous season. Antetokounmpo scored 22.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game to secure his first All-Star nod. Sabonis scored 18.5 points and 12.4 rebounds the season he earned his first All-Star bid.
The three players also averaged at least five assists per game in those seasons.
“We play against it every day in practice,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said of Johnson ahead of the two team’s NBA Cup semifinal game. “Look at Giannis. That’s who Giannis is. In a lot of ways. I think Jalen has really grown. Just watching his game, he’s improved his shooting. To me, he’s improved his decision-making at a quicker pace. He’s processing things much faster. I guess, in quarterback lingo, a rookie quarterback to a veteran quarterback.”
Johnson is the only player in the Eastern Conference averaging at least 15 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, one steal and block this season and is one of only two players to do so in the NBA. He trails only Jokic as the only players averaging at least 19 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and one steal per game.
“He’s averaging (19) and 10,” Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu said. “Usually, that gets you an All-Star bid. He’s just, he’s a monster out there. I think he will be an All-Star, and he deserves it.”
Johnson, 23, is on pace to become the fifth youngest player in NBA history to average at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a season behind Oscar Robertson (who has done it twice), Bam Adebayo and Jokic.
This season, Johnson ranks among the top forwards in the NBA in just about every category. He ranks in the 93rd percentile among forwards in on/off differential, per Cleaning the Glass. The Hawks average 12.4 more points per 100 possessions with Johnson on the court versus when he is off.
Johnson also sits in the 99th percentile behind only Celtics forward Jayson Tatum in defensive rebounding percentage. On average, Johnson grabs 20.9% of Hawks’ opponents’ missed field-goal attempts.
For the first time, the NBA All-Star game will feature a mini-tournament, with four teams and three games Feb. 16 at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Two teams will meet in one semifinal (Game 1), and the remaining two teams will meet in the other semifinal (Game 2). The winning teams from Game 1 and Game 2 will advance to face each other in the championship (Game 3). For each game, the winner will be the first team to reach or surpass 40 points.
The voting process to determine the 24 NBA All-Stars remains the same. The five players All-Star starters in each conference will be selected by fans (50% of the vote), current NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%).
The seven players honored as reserves in each conference will be selected by NBA head coaches.
All-Star voting concludes Jan. 20, with TNT revealing the starters Jan. 23 and the reserves Jan. 30. A draft to determine three of the four teams will take place Feb. 6 just before TNT’s doubleheader that night. The fourth team will be made up of the winning team from the championship game of the Rising Stars showcase, which features rookies, second-year players and G League standouts.
Should Johnson, along with guard Trae Young receive All-Star nods, it could be the first time since the 2015-16 that the Hawks have multiple All-Stars.
An All-Star acknowledgment would bolster Johnson’s rise as a superstar in the NBA. But the fourth-year forward hardly is one to talk about his individual accomplishments.
“He’s just a team player,” Okongwu said. “A quiet kid. He loves playing. He loves being out there, and he’s a winner.”
“You know how I feel about JJ and his individual recognition (and) his success,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “I think one of the unique things about him is that he’s thrown himself into the team. And no better example of that than (Thursday) night, where he’s literally making plays for other people, and then he ends up, you know, with 30 points. So it’s for JJ, it continues to be (about) how he’s playing and continuing to develop his identity as a player that’s unique to him. And I think whether that gets recognized in whatever way you know, over the period of time, he continues to get better. And wherever that lands, it lands. And I have a good idea where it lands.”
So, where does that land Johnson?
“To try to identify (that), I think that’s kind of what I’m saying,” Snyder said. “To try to put a ceiling on him, may actually be putting the floor. Like, who knows. But I think that’s the best way to approach that. Everyone has goals, but that’s not why you’re playing. And in his case, how he plays is the best way for him to achieve all those goals. I think he understands it.”
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