Atlanta Hawks' Jalen Johnson Ranked 2nd-Best Power Forward in NBA

HoopsHype ranked Atlanta Hawks All-Star Jalen Johnson the second-best power forward in the NBA. 

Johnson trails only Miami Heat superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in HoopsHype's power forward ranking.

"He’ll need to keep honing in that outside jumper, but we’re confident Johnson, a monster rebounder for his position and very solid playmaker, will be able to do just that, at least based on how impressively he’s already improved thus far in his career," HoopsHype wrote. 

Johnson had a terrific 2025-26 season for the Hawks. He averaged 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game while shooting 48.9% from the field, 35.2% from beyond the arc and 78.8% from the free-throw line. The Duke product recorded 49 double-doubles and 13 triple-doubles in 72 games. 

The 24-year-old Johnson made his first All-Star and All-NBA team last season. The swingman made the All-NBA Third Team.

As long as he continues to improve each summer, the sky is the limit for Johnson, who averaged 19.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game in the 2026 playoffs. The Hawks lost to the New York Knicks in the first round in six games.  

"Johnson is on a fantastic path, already reaching All-NBA status in 2025-26 as a 3rd Teamer thanks to his scoring, rebounding and playmaking. Last season, the 24-year-old became the fifth player in league history to put up a season in which he averaged at least 22 points, 10 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game. The other four players on that list? Wilt Chamberlain, Nikola Jokic, Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook," HoopsHype wrote. 

The Hawks had a busy offseason. They signed CJ McCollum to an extension, re-signed Jock Landale, acquired Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Ryan Nembhard from the Dallas Mavericks and drafted Kingston Flemings, Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar in the 2026 draft.         

Atlanta's core moving forward is Dort, Wiggins, McCollum, Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu. 

On paper, that looks really good.

It will be fascinating to see if the Hawks win a championship in the Johnson era. Johnson enters next season with career averages of 14.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. 

The Hawks haven't won a playoff series since 2021. Let's see if that changes in 2027.