Zach Lowe on Jalen Johnson

An excerpt from his [ESPN column](https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/39577809/lowe-red-hot-cavs-flourishing-luka-kyrie-pairing) today –

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>Jalen Johnson in the short roll
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> Johnson is perhaps the lone bright spot in a discouraging running-in-place season for the Atlanta Hawks — though it was nice seeing Onyeka Okongwu level up as a starter with Clint Capela out. (Of course, Okongwu is now injured.) But Johnson is a huge, blaring bright spot. It was clear before the season Johnson was a valuable energy player who could rebound, cut for dunks and defend multiple positions. The biggest long-term question was whether he hit enough 3s to play alongside traditional centers. He’s up to 35% on almost four attempts per game, and actually shooting better — 38% to 30% — on non-corner 3s. His form looks good, and he’s letting it fly fast — against decent contests. But the best part of Johnson’s breakout is the feel he has shown in between starting plays and finishing them. He’s dishing 3.5 dimes, a fantastic number for a power forward playing alongside two high-usage guards in Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Johnson is comfortable making plays in space when defenders blitz Young. He has the floor mapped before he even catches the ball. Johnson has good touch on his passes and the confidence to squeeze lobs through tight spaces.
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>When good defenses close off passing lanes and block Johnson’s path to the rim, he can default to floaters and short jumpers. That is veteran calm — the way Johnson catches in traffic, pump fakes Kevin Durant into the air, holds his balance and plops in that little jumper with Durant on the way down. Johnson might be the Hawks’ second-best player and best screen-setter already. Atlanta has scored 1.305 points per possession on trips featuring a Johnson ball screen — eighth among 228 players who have set at least 100 picks, per Second Spectrum. Johnson has recorded assists on about 23% of those pick-and-rolls — 11th in that same sample.
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>Johnson is blossoming into a really good all-around player. He can play in any lineup type and guard almost any position. This is a pivotal summer for the Hawks. Depending on how the next two months go, it could mark the end of the Murray-Young partnership. In building around Young, the Hawks tried to stack their roster with switchable defenders who could cover for Young without getting in his way on offense. Capela has mostly done his job at center, though he has declined a bit. De’Andre Hunter and Saddiq Bey look the part, but they haven’t lived up to expectations on defense. Johnson checks every box. He fits the next version of the Hawks — whatever it looks like.

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by Ice2jc