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BREAKING: Atlanta Hawks and Jalen Johnson Reach Contract Extension

Did the Hawks pay a fair price for the young forward?

Rohan Raman

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In an offseason abound with change for the Hawks, keeping Jalen Johnson as part of the long-term future needed to happen.

General manager Landry Fields recognized that by handing the young forward a well-deserved five-year, $150 million dollar extension, per ESPN's Shams Charania. It is a fully guaranteed deal per Charania.

First, Johnson is an example of the rarest archetype in the NBA. He's a 6'8 forward who can stretch the floor, make plays for others and take on tough defensive assignments. Over his 56 games, he shot 35.5% from three on four attempts per game. Although he isn't necessarily a volume shooter, he forces defenses to respect his shot. Johnson is also an explosive athlete and gets downhill to attack the rim with regularity. In fact, he's even capable of playing at the center spot in small-ball lineups. As a passer, his 3.6 assists are made all the more impressive because he plays next to a heavy-usage guard in young.

NBA analyst Zach Lowe had this to say about Johnson's abilities as an offensive connector:

"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."

As a defender, he is definitively the Hawks' best all-around defender. He can play respectable defense on guards and forwards alike. Look no further than the 141-134 overtime win against the Warriors last season. During the overtime period, Johnson recognized a screen that would take Murray, who was guarding Steph Curry, out of the play while he was guarding Draymond Green. Johnson switched on to one of the greatest shooters ever and forced him to throw up a contested three-pointer. When the Clippers came to town and lost 110-93, a key part of that win was Johnson playing defense on both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard at various points throughout the game.

Secondly, he's a player on the rise. In his third seasonJohnson averaged career-highs in points (16.0), rebounds (8.7), assists (3.6), three-point percentage (35.5%) and free-throw percentage (72.8%). He was in contention for the Most Improved Player award and had a real shot of winning it had he played more games. It is very easy to envision him becoming a 20-point-per-game scorer on good efficiency in the next two years and having that kind of player on a rookie-scale extension is well worth it. So far, he's looked like that player in preseason. He had a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double against the Pacers and a 21-point, four-rebound effort against the 76ers where he hit all four of his three-pointers.

Thirdly, it gives Zaccharie Risacher support. Johnson being on the roster means that Risacher does not have to be the best defender or second-best scorer for Atlanta during 2024-25. As he adjusts to NBA schemes, he can work off of Johnson as they adjust to playing within an NBA offense. That's to say nothing of Johnson's own experiences with adversity in his young career. He spent most of his first season playing in the G League, dealt with several ankle injuries and exemplifies what it means to be a professional. A young forward can learn a lot from a player like Jalen Johnson.

Lastly, the contract is a good value relative to similar deals. Although the floor of Johnson's deal was likely the four-year, $112 million dollar extension signed by Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III or the five-year, $131 million pact signed by Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, negotiating a deal under that of the five-year, $197 million dollar deal Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane signed is a good bit of business by general manager Landry Fields and the rest of Atlanta's front office. It would not surprise me if Johnson proves to be a more valuable player than Bane over the coming years based on the position he plays, his skills as a defender and the room for growth in his game.

Additional Links:

NBA Predictions: Projecting the Eastern Conference Standings For the Upcoming 2024-2025 Season

Atlanta Hawks Basketball: NBA Analyst Says This is The No. 1 Reason To Be Excited About The Hawks in 2024-2025

How Will Atlanta Survive The Minutes Without Trae Young?

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Rohan Raman
ROHAN RAMAN

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