{"id":68596,"date":"2024-03-17T07:43:21","date_gmt":"2024-03-17T11:43:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=68596"},"modified":"2024-03-17T07:43:21","modified_gmt":"2024-03-17T11:43:21","slug":"hawks-mini-lebron-jalen-johnson-mindset-stellar-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/17\/hawks-mini-lebron-jalen-johnson-mindset-stellar-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawks\u2019 \u2018Mini-LeBron\u2019 Reveals Mindset Amid Stellar Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Chris Johnson, the expert skills trainer who works out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LeBron James<\/a>, says that Atlanta Hawks third-year forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/johnsja05.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Johnson<\/a> \u201cis the next <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/inside-hawks-forward-jalen-johnsons-relentless-pursuit-of-nba-stardom-160907668.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">superstar in the making<\/a>\u201d (per Yahoo Sports insider Jake Fischer).<\/p>\n<p>College Park Skyhawks head coach Steve Gansey has called Johnson \u201cmini-LeBron.\u201d Johnson relays that <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KLChouinard\/status\/1686398759444336640?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">during a workout<\/a>, James \u201ctold me there should be no reason I shouldn\u2019t be on All-Defensive teams.\u201d Then, as if reading James\u2019 mind, an anonymous NBA executive says that Johnson is \u201cso good. He\u2019s so athletic. He can guard every position.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Is it possible that the Hawks have their next superstar on their hands?<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Mini-LeBron\u2019 Jalen Johnson Reveals Mindset Amid Stellar Season<\/h2>\n<p>To be fair, the skills that Johnson has shown during his breakout have been seen throughout his basketball journey.<\/p>\n<p>However, his production at the NBA level is new. Johnson is a full-time starter for the first time, starting 46 games this season after starting six games last season. He\u2019s playing a career-high 34.0 minutes per game, 19.1 minutes more than he was playing last season (14.9 minutes per game).<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JQMG1f-ieIc?si=nyxMPKsB20UVeZXh\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The third-year forward is also averaging 15.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.0 stocks per game this season. His scoring and assist averages are nearly triple what they were last season (5.6 points and 1.2 assists per game). His rebounding and stock averages are nearly double what they were last season (4.0 rebounds and 1.0 stock per game). He\u2019s even shooting a career-high 35.3 percent on 3s.<\/p>\n<p>Nonetheless, Johnson has always been a well-rounded contributor. Even when he left Milwaukee\u2019s Nicolet High School as a five-star recruit, his vaunted skillset was prized primarily because he was the ever-elusive complete player.<\/p>\n<h3>The Mind is a Powerful Machine<\/h3>\n<p>A dynamic athlete at 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds, his physical profile is a factor in his ability to be a do-it-all player. However, having the ideal size isn\u2019t as necessary as developing the skill. Having the prerequisite talent isn\u2019t as important as having the right mindset.<\/p>\n<p>In his interview, Johnson describes his mentality on and off the court. Yet, those two environments are always intricately connected. As a result, he creates a self-portrait that would make Basquiat proud.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to have there be a lapse of why I can\u2019t finish out a game. I want to be at least solid in every department, whatever that may be. And then eventually just keep building on that, just keep adding bits and pieces.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI watch a lot of guys who do everything,\u201d Johnson says of his desire to affect the game in every conceivable way. \u201cThat\u2019s my mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of those players is undoubtedly James, who has made a lot of history \u2014and a lot of money \u2014by being <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/17\/2-headed-goat-lebron-james-matches-another-michael-jordan-record\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">not just a volume scorer<\/a> but a versatile contributor. Interestingly, while both he and James are multifaceted forwards, their best skill is arguably their passing ability. However, Johnson also inspires thoughts of 2-time MVP, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jokicni01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Jokic<\/a>. Not due to size or skillset but the depths of their passion for playmaking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor some reason,\u201d Johnson says, \u201cI got this, like, adrenaline rush from hitting somebody for an open layup, a long fastbreak pass. Those are the type of plays that kinda fulfill me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that\u2019s where my passing came from,\u201d Johnson continues. \u201cJust being able to hit somebody for a dunk or something, knowing that play started with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With a father who made a conscious decision to have his son play like showstopper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/johnsma02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Magic Johnson<\/a>, the 22-year-old has become a natural facilitator. One of the league\u2019s true point-forwards, he makes his teammates\u2019 lives easier due to his playmaking instincts. Now showing the signs of being a two-way playmaker and connector, his career can go one of many ways.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps it goes the way of James, as he leads his teams to NBA championships as a perennial All-Star. Perhaps it goes the way of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/greendr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Draymond Green<\/a>. In this scenario, Johnson would have fewer individual accolades but <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/07\/draymond-green-reveals-retirement-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">more team success<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Even still, it could go the way of former Hawks forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/smithjo03.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Josh Smith<\/a>. With a skillset not too dissimilar from Johnson\u2019s, Smith didn\u2019t have a decorated career or win championships. However, he was one of the most respected and popular players of his day.<\/p>\n<p>A player with a \u201cnatural feel that you can\u2019t teach,\u201d Johnson\u2019s story has yet to be written. However, judging by other titles in his genre, fans have a lot to look forward to.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chris Johnson, the expert skills trainer who works out LeBron James, says that Atlanta Hawks third-year forward Jalen Johnson \u201cis the next superstar in the making\u201d (per Yahoo Sports insider Jake Fischer). College Park Skyhawks head coach Steve Gansey has called Johnson \u201cmini-LeBron.\u201d Johnson relays that during a workout, James \u201ctold me there should be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":68597,"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":[62,4,1608,26],"tags":[3853,38],"class_list":["post-68596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-hawks","category-basketball","category-lakers","tag-jalen-johnson","tag-lebron-james"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68596","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=68596"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68596\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}