Uncover the unwavering focus behind Jalen Johnson's clutch performances and a burgeoning Atlanta Hawks playoff push. His consistent dominance redefines "locked in."
Atlanta Hawks star Jalen Johnson stepped to the free-throw line late in the fourth quarter during Saturday's 125-116 win, needing to guide his team to maintain a lead against the Philadelphia 76ers. He was inspired by the FanDuel 404 Crew, who started chanting his name.
Johnson had scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting in the quarter alone. Finished with 35, 10 boards, seven assists. His 39th double-double.
In four games against Philadelphia this season, Johnson has delivered three double-doubles and a triple-double. Atlanta has pulled off six straight wins and turned what looked like a lost year into a playoff push.
After the game, Johnson was asked what being locked in actually looks like.
"I think I'm always locked in," Johnson said. "I mean, when the momentum is high, and you're on a run, emotions are running much higher. So maybe the emotional piece of it looks like locking in more, but yeah — I'm always locked in."
What separates Johnson now is that the fourth quarter doesn't feel different to him. While the crowd grows louder and the stakes are raised, he stays focused.
"I just tried to match their aggressiveness," Johnson said. "I felt like I did a good job getting to the line tonight. My teammates were encouraging me to stay aggressive, so I felt like it was a good opportunity to do that."
Snyder pulled the lens back on how Johnson thrived at finishing through contact. However, a key difference Snyder noticed in Johnson's performance was how he used catch-and-shoot threes to draw more aggressive closeouts, opening up the rest of his game.
"One of the things our players have talked about is feeling the game," Snyder said. "Tonight, I thought he attacked the rim. He didn't try to avoid contact — he went through it, and you saw the result. His catch-and-shoot threes continue to be a really important part of his game because people have to come up and guard him. That gives him a chance to drive the ball. He's making the right play."
Meanwhile, Nickeil Alexander-Walker had the most direct take on what Johnson's fourth quarter meant to the team.
"It was amazing," Alexander-Walker said. "The aggression he played with, the decisiveness getting downhill, not settling — it was very timely when we needed it. He kept rolling and we were all behind him."
What makes Johnson's performance notable in context is that Atlanta trailed by seven at halftime. A lesser player might press. Johnson came out in the third quarter and set the tone alongside his teammates before taking over down the stretch when the game needed someone to.
"We came out aggressive and swinging," Johnson said of the third quarter. "We set the tone on how the rest of the game was going to go in those first couple minutes."
Johnson's MVP chants feel less like a moment and more like a signal of where this team is headed.