{"id":168920,"date":"2025-12-05T07:00:54","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T12:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=168920"},"modified":"2025-12-05T01:10:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T06:10:50","slug":"hawks-star-forward-enjoying-breakout-shooting-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/12\/05\/hawks-star-forward-enjoying-breakout-shooting-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawks Star Forward Enjoying Breakout Shooting Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Atlanta Hawks brought in <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/porzikr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is<\/a> this past summer for his rim protection and 3-point shooting. His long-range marksmanship pairs perfectly with <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/johnsja05.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Johnson<\/a>, as he wants to attack the rim whenever he can. However, Porzi\u0146\u0123is played in only 12 of the Hawks&#8217; first 23 games of the season due to multiple illnesses and resting on back-to-backs. The Hawks missed a big part of their 3-point offense, but Johnson and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/o\/okongon01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Onyeka Okongwu&#8217;s<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/11\/20\/hawks-center-takes-major-offensive-leap-this-season\/\" target=\"_self\">career-best<\/a> shooting campaigns helped the team stay afloat with Porzi\u0146\u0123is sidelined.<\/p>\n<h2>Hawks Star Forward Enjoying Breakout Shooting Season<\/h2>\n<p>Many people had high expectations for Johnson entering his fifth NBA season. His combination of size, athleticism, handle, rebounding, playmaking, and <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/The_BBall_Index\/status\/1986182232206164196\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">strong inside finishing<\/a> makes him a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. However, questions surrounded his ability to create his own shot in the halfcourt and become a consistent 3-point threat. Through the Hawks&#8217; first 23 games, Johnson answered these questions without hesitation.<\/p>\n<h3>Jalen Johnson Adds Long-Range Shooting to His Deep Offensive Bag<\/h3>\n<p>The 20th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft averages career highs of 23.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 7.3 assists on the campaign. He takes 4.0 3-pointers per game, hitting them at 41.3%- also career bests. Defenses cannot play Johnson too tightly on the perimeter because he uses his speed and handle to blow by defenders and punish teams in the paint. Therefore, opposing teams like to go under ball screens, limiting his ability to go downhill with a head of steam. Johnson&#8217;s improved 3-point shot now allows him to punish this defensive coverage, but it took him some time to find his 2025-26 outside stroke.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">JALEN HAS 40 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hg8pkBVkAI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/hg8pkBVkAI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ATLHawks\/status\/1995313916331659753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Johnson wasted no time finding his overall offensive groove this season. He scored 20.5 points on 58.6% shooting over his first games. Despite his success, he did not hit a 3-pointer in five of those contests, starting the campaign 7-26 from beyond the arc. He only cashed in from deep multiple times twice in those first 10 games, but these numbers increased as the season moved along.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over Atlanta&#8217;s last 10 contests, Johnson&#8217;s 3-point numbers skyrocketed, shooting 48.1% on 5.4 attempts per game. He made at least three shots from downtown in his last three contests. After his 29-point (3-7 from 3-point range), 12-rebound, 12-assist performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers, I asked Johnson about his increased volume and confidence from beyond the arc.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019m just shooting my shot. That\u2019s all it comes down to. I\u2019m not thinking as much \u2026 if I catch it and I\u2019m open, I\u2019m letting it fly,\u201d said Atlanta\u2019s star forward. Johnson shows no hesitation or signs of slowing down from deep.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I asked Jalen Johnson about him shooting more threes lately compared to the opening few weeks of the season. Here was his response: <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yf2VjeVYLC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/yf2VjeVYLC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Mikey Kobrinsky (@MRKHoops) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MRKHoops\/status\/1994619742867337482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 29, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><b>Johnson\u2019s Outside Shooting Raises the Hawks\u2019 Ceiling<\/b><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_166997\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-166997\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-166997\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27610235_168420457_lowres-1024x685.jpg\" alt=\"Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) drives against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of play at Mortgage Matchup Center.\" width=\"640\" height=\"428\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27610235_168420457_lowres-1024x685.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27610235_168420457_lowres-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27610235_168420457_lowres-768x514.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27610235_168420457_lowres-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27610235_168420457_lowres-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27610235_168420457_lowres-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27610235_168420457_lowres.jpg 1968w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-166997\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nov 16, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) drives against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of play at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last season, the Hawks created many open looks from beyond the arc. However, they did not have enough shooting to capitalize on these opportunities. The team ranked second in <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/dlee4three\/status\/1929627616631247069\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">3-point openness<\/a> and only finished 19th in efficiency. General manager Onsi Saleh addressed this issue by acquiring <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/alexani01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nickeil Alexander-Walker<\/a>, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kennalu01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luke Kennard<\/a>, and Porzi\u0146\u0123is over the summer. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alexander-Walker is enjoying a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/11\/22\/hawks-guard-enjoying-breakout-2025-26-season\/\" target=\"_self\">career-best season<\/a>\u00a0alongside Johnson. Both players picked up their scoring and outside shooting after <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/y\/youngtr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trae Young<\/a> went down with a sprained MCL. Atlanta ranks ninth in 3-point percentage through 23 games, suggesting its efficiency problems from last season have stopped. Johnson&#8217;s dual-threat as a driver and now quality 3-point shooter enhances the Hawks&#8217; offense as a whole. He can operate on the ball in pick-and-rolls and also serve as a spacer when Young, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/daniedy01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dyson Daniels<\/a>, and Alexander-Walker drive to the paint. <\/span>Johnson certainly looks to be in store for his first All-Star selection in his third consecutive breakout campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Featured Image: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Atlanta Hawks brought in Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is this past summer for his rim protection and 3-point shooting. His long-range marksmanship pairs perfectly with Jalen Johnson, as he wants to attack the rim whenever he can. However, Porzi\u0146\u0123is played in only 12 of the Hawks&#8217; first 23 games of the season due to multiple illnesses and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5516,"featured_media":168947,"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":[1608,4,62],"tags":[3853,138,947],"class_list":["post-168920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-hawks","category-nba","tag-jalen-johnson","tag-kristaps-porzingis","tag-nickeil-alexander-walker"],"modified_by":"Benjamin Yu","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168920","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\/5516"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168920"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":168949,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168920\/revisions\/168949"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}