Jalen Johnson didn’t just survive Atlanta’s chaotic 2025-26 season - he took it over.
What started as a Hawks roster built around Kristaps Porziņģis and Trae Young quickly unraveled. Porziņģis managed only 17 games before Atlanta sent him to the Golden State Warriors for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield.
Young then went down with a right MCL sprain on Oct. 29, 2025, missed seven weeks, and was later traded for Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum. The plan changed fast, and Johnson became the guy almost by default.
He handled it like one.
The 24-year-old put together his first All-Star and All-NBA season, then posted career-best numbers across the board: 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.2 steals. Atlanta finished 46-36, its best record since the 2015-16 season, and Johnson was the engine behind it. He had spent much of his early career working off the ball while Young controlled the offense, but once the responsibility shifted, Johnson adjusted and never gave it back.
That’s what makes this offseason so important. For the first time, Johnson gets a full summer with his new reality already clear.
Last year, he didn’t have that luxury. This time, the Hawks are asking him to train as the franchise star from the jump.
Atlanta’s roster has changed again, with Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins coming in and Zaccharie Risacher among the pieces sent out, but the assignment for Johnson hasn’t changed. He’s still the face of the team.
The next step is on defense.
Johnson has the tools to be a real problem on that end. At 6-foot-8, he can explode at the rim, move well for his size and use his strength to knock opponents off balance. But last season, his defense slipped, and the Hawks need that side of his game to come back around in 2026-27.
The workload likely had something to do with it. Johnson’s usage rate jumped to a career-high 27.0% last season, up from 22.5% the year before.
That’s a massive swing, from third option to first option in a matter of months. It takes a toll, and it can show up on the other end.
Still, there were signs before last season that Johnson could be more than just a scorer. He flashed weakside rim protection and the kind of switchable defense that fits modern basketball during his first three NBA seasons. Now he enters the summer healthy, fully aware of what Atlanta needs from him, and with a chance to take another leap for a team that wants to climb even higher in the Eastern Conference.
In Other News...
Hawks Enter Season Facing The Same Doubt Fans Are Tired Of
The Eastern Conference has been turned upside down again, with Philadelphia landing Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, Miami adding Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Knicks still sitting at the top after their title run. In that kind of arms race, Atlanta is trying to sell a simpler pitch: a roster with five new teammates, an improved Jalen Johnson and the benefit of a full offseason together, all of which gives the Hawks a cleaner runway than they had a year ago.
The numbers around them show how much skepticism still lingers. BetMGM has Atlanta at 43.5 wins, while the case being made for the Hawks is closer to the high 40s, and Bleacher Report still slots the starting five outside the leagues elite tier. Even with that, there is a sense this group is finally built to answer the same question that has followed it for years, though the real proof will have to come when the season starts and the Hawks have to show they belong in the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Face A Real Test In Their Peyton Watson Pursuit
Peyton Watson has emerged as one of the more intriguing late-offseason names on the market, and the Hawks are among the teams keeping tabs on the Denver forward. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that Denver is looking for a first-round pick and a young player in return, which helps explain why interest has not yet turned into a deal. For Atlanta, Watson fits the kind of long, athletic wing profile that always draws attention, but the price tag is making this a tougher conversation than a simple fit check.
The bigger issue is leverage, or the lack of it, as the offseason winds down and more than one team circles the situation. Denver has to weigh whether to hold firm and risk a less favorable outcome later, while Atlanta president of basketball operations Onsi Saleh is reportedly not eager to part with a first-rounder in a sign-and-trade. For now, the Hawks are in the mix, but the gap between asking price and what they are willing to pay remains the obstacle that could decide whether this pursuit goes anywhere. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Are Being Pushed Toward The Wrong Jonathan Kuminga Trade Path
Jonathan Kumingas market has started to look less like a straightforward bidding war and more like a test of which team is willing to structure the cleanest deal. For the Hawks, the conversation is not just about whether they can get involved, but which path makes the most sense if they decide to chase the Warriors forward through a trade framework that still feels very much in the rumor stage.
From Atlantas standpoint, the better lanes appear to run through Cleveland or Minnesota, where the reported pieces are easier to evaluate and fit around the roster. A Cavaliers sign-and-trade could bring Max Strus into the discussion, while the Timberwolves have been tied to Josh Greens expiring money and possibly Jaylen Clark, which keeps the focus on flexibility instead of cluttering the books with extra baggage. [Read more 🡒]