{"id":109720,"date":"2024-11-30T15:17:52","date_gmt":"2024-11-30T20:17:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=109720"},"modified":"2024-11-30T15:17:52","modified_gmt":"2024-11-30T20:17:52","slug":"hawks-list-areas-improvement-jalen-johnson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/30\/hawks-list-areas-improvement-jalen-johnson\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawks List Areas of Improvement For Breakout Star"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Atlanta Hawks forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/johnsja05.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Johnson<\/a> isn\u2019t just a home team favorite anymore, as his breakout is making him household name for fans around the league.<\/p>\n<p>This season, the 22-year-old is averaging 20.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game. These are all career-highs. Even more grand is the fact that he\u2019s currently the only player posting at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal per game. If it holds, he\u2019ll join the company of Hall of Fame forwards like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/birdla01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Larry Bird<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/garneke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Garnett<\/a> by achieving this feat.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Jalen Johnson is currently the only player this season to average 20\/10\/5\/1\/1.<\/p>\n<p>Only Kareem, Bird, KG, CWebb, Boogie, Giannis, and Embiid have achieved this. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8CXfmrw5p8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/8CXfmrw5p8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 StatMuse (@statmuse) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/statmuse\/status\/1862708636361138536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>However, while Johnson has gotten off to a great start, the work isn\u2019t done.<\/p>\n<h2>Hawks List Areas of Improvement For Breakout Star Jalen Johnson<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m always on him about his defense. He knows that,\u201d Hawks head coach Quin Snyder tells RG.org\u2019s Spencer Davies. \u201c\u2026He\u2019s gotta continue to just focus and <a href=\"https:\/\/rg.org\/news\/basketball\/jalen-johnson-flash-and-flare-bringing-excitement-to-atlanta\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">get better in that area<\/a> \u2014 like any young guy. As you\u2019re playing in this league over the course of time, when you\u2019re taking on the matchups that he\u2019s taking on, that\u2019s something that\u2019s really important. And I know it\u2019s important to him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust consistency,\u201d Hawks center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/capelca01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Clint Capela<\/a> adds when asked what Johnson can improve. \u201cHe&#8217;s gonna be better by shooting threes, by finishing at the rim getting stronger, by finding a way to find his teammates even more often and more consistently. That&#8217;s why I think his ceiling&#8217;s gonna be even higher.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe&#8217;s young, so he can get better in everything honestly,\u201d teammate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/huntede01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">De\u2019Andre Hunter<\/a> muses. \u201cHe still has a lot of room to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility<\/h3>\n<p>Defense. Finishing. Shooting. Consistency. Everything.<\/p>\n<p>To some, those words may come off as an indictment of Johnson\u2019s ability. If he has so much to work on, how can he be as good as people say? However, as many know, the players with the highest expectations are often the ones with the most potential. That\u2019s the case with Johnson, who <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/17\/hawks-mini-lebron-jalen-johnson-mindset-stellar-season\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">has been compared<\/a> to four-time NBA MVP, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LeBron James<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To his coach and teammates\u2019 credit though, it\u2019s not like they pulled their answers out of thin air. Johnson has proven himself to be an all-around player who can score in volume and efficiently. With that being said, he does need to refine his technique as a defender, scorer, and playmaker.<\/p>\n<h3>Refining His Game<\/h3>\n<p>At the defensive end, Johnson has the physical tools necessary to guard multiple positions and has made an impact as an off-ball as well. Yet, his awareness hasn\u2019t always been up to par, leading to ugly miscues. Overall, he\u2019s a good defender, and opponents shoot <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/defense-dash-overall?dir=A&amp;sort=PLAYER_NAME\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">3.9 percent below their season average<\/a> against him.<\/p>\n<p>Still, he <em>can<\/em> be better.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Wanted to highlight some not very good defense from Jalen Johnson.<\/p>\n<p>You can see Nance clearly directing Jalen to cover Fox but he is slow to react and when he does, his close out lacks any kind of urgency or intensity. He has to be better than this. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UHpx6pDSrC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/UHpx6pDSrC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Glenn McComb (@lenymo) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/lenymo\/status\/1852574794362884320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 2, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>At the offensive end, Johnson is being tasked with a role that highlights his athleticism, court vision, and passing ability. The point-forward excels when attacking in transition, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/transition?dir=D&amp;sort=PPP\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">averaging 1.20 points per possession<\/a>. However, he also has a knack for finding the open man. In fact, he\u2019s such a solid facilitator, he\u2019s often able to dole out assists in a halfcourt setting.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Jalen Johnson has some amazing and premium passes in this season, and this is one of those. \ud83d\ude2e \ud83d\udc40 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KYLPRAJlfc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/KYLPRAJlfc<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ENES5VHhJY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/ENES5VHhJY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sarahbaby (@Cuteghost_0725) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Cuteghost_0725\/status\/1862174737927217379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 28, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Like anyone, he makes his mistakes. To that point, Johnson\u2019s assist-to-turnover ratio (1.68) ranks 216th among players averaging at least 15 minutes per game. His turnover ratio (12.1 percent) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/advanced?CF=MIN*GE*15&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=TM_TOV_PCT\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ranks 333rd among players<\/a> averaging at least 15 minutes per game. The hope is just that as he continues to get reps in a high usage role, his decision-making improves.<\/p>\n<p>In many ways, he\u2019s like a smaller (and less explosive) version of Milwaukee Bucks star <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/antetgi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> though. Despite his comparisons to James, he hasn\u2019t been able to find his shooting stroke, converting 35.2 percent of his threes and 37.9 percent of midrange attempts. Unlike Antetokounmpo or James, Johnson doesn\u2019t excel finishing under-the-rim either, and has made just <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/player\/1630552\/shooting\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">44.4 percent of his driving layups<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson isn\u2019t just a home team favorite anymore, as his breakout is making him household name for fans around the league. This season, the 22-year-old is averaging 20.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game. These are all career-highs. Even more grand is the fact that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":109991,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1608,62,3],"tags":[346,1875,306,3853,38,1003],"class_list":["post-109720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hawks","category-basketball","category-nba","category-news","tag-clint-capela","tag-deandre-hunter","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-jalen-johnson","tag-lebron-james","tag-quin-snyder"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}