Jalen Johnson was named among the NBA's best 24-year-olds, and the Hawks star has a strong case against Alperen Sengun and Chet Holmgren.
The Atlanta Hawks have made it clear that they consider Jalen Johnson their franchise player. Bleacher Report named him one of the best 24-year-olds in the NBA.
Recently, they published a piece naming the best player at every age. Johnson was an honorable mention for age 24, but he wasn't able to earn the top status. That designation went to Cade Cunningham.
Is he truly better than Johnson?
Hawks' Johnson One of the League's Best Young Players
Well, probably, yes.
In 2025-26, Cunningham averaged 23.9 points, 9.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game to Johnson's 22.5, 7.9, and 10.3. Johnson only holds an advantage in rebounding. That's reflected in the advanced stats. Cunningham's 6.3 Box Plus/Minus (BPM) was elite, while Johnson's 4.2 mark is closer to high-end All-Star level.
This should come as no surprise. Cunningham was the number one pick in the same draft that Johnson was selected 20th in. He's supposed to be better than him.
If anything, it's impressive that Johnson was an honorable mention. A 20th overall selection is not supposed to be one of the best players at his age in the league - at any point. Johnson certainly makes the cut:
After Cunningham, he's as good as any 24-year-old in the league.
Hawks' Johnson in Rarified Air
The other honorable mentions were Houston Rockets big man Alperen Sengun and Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren.
Johnson has a strong case over either. Sengun is absurdly talented. Like Johnson, he was a 2021 draft-day steal, having been selected 16th overall. By now, Sengun is a two-time All-Star who clearly should have been selected with a higher pick.
He's one of the best playmaking big men in the NBA, but Sengun can be a defensive liability. While Johnson's impact on that end has been inconsistent, he's got the athletic tools to lock in where necessary. He's also been equally statistically productive, if not more so.
Nobody could accuse Holmgren of being a defensive liability, but between him, Johnson and Sengun, he's comfortably the worst offensive player. His rim protection might be worth that trade-off, but it depends on how your roster is constructed.
These are three excellent young players, but one could easily justify taking Johnson over the other two. Cunningham is the clear frontrunner in this category, but otherwise, Johnson is right there in terms of his age group.
That's enough for him to earn a "franchise player" label from the Hawks.
