Atlanta Hawks star Jalen Johnson rose 22 spots on ESPN's top 50 NBA players list.
Not only did Atlanta Hawks small forward Jalen Johnson make ESPN's top 50 NBA players list again, but he also rose 22 spots.
Johnson was ranked No. 44 last season. He's ranked No. 22 for the upcoming season.
Johnson is one spot ahead of Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks and one spot behind Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets.
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.
Atlanta lost to the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, but remember, the Hawks were the only team to beat the Knicks twice in the 2026 postseason. That shows how good the Hawks will be moving forward.
Johnson's 13 triple-doubles last season set the Hawks franchise record. He thrived as a playmaker and finisher in Atlanta's up-tempo attack and helped lead the franchise to its most wins since the 2015-16 season.
Johnson enters this upcoming season with career averages of 14.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Atlanta's core moving forward is Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, CJ McCollum, Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu.
The Hawks haven't won a playoff series since 2021. For that to change in 2027, Johnson has to be a consistent threat from deep.
How good is Johnson? Last season, he 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? NBA legends Wilt Chamberlain, Nikola Jokic, Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook.
That's amazing company to be in for Johnson.
The Hawks went 46-36 and won the Southeast Division last season. They begin the 2026-27 season on the road against the Orlando Magic on October 21. That should be a fun game, as we get to see Johnson go up against Magic All-Star Paolo Banchero, is ranked No. 36 on this ESPN list.
