Jalen Johnson
Johnson playing for Nicolet High School in 2019
No. 1 – Atlanta Hawks
PositionSmall forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-12-18) December 18, 2001 (age 22)
Wausau, Wisconsin, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight219 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeDuke (2020–2021)
NBA draft2021: 1st round, 20th overall pick
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–presentAtlanta Hawks
2021–2022→College Park Skyhawks
Stats at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Jalen Tyrese Johnson (born December 18, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the best small forwards in the 2020 class. Johnson finished his high school career at Nicolet High School in Glendale, Wisconsin.

High school career

Johnson played his first two years of high school basketball for Sun Prairie High School in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. He played under former head coach Jeff Boos. As a freshman in 2016–17, Johnson averaged 15.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks to help his team to a 20–4 record. They were upset in the Regional Finals by Madison East High School. As a sophomore in 2017–18, Johnson averaged 18.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.5 blocks to help his team to a 25–2 record. He led the Cardinals to their first state tournament Division 1 semifinals appearance.

After his sophomore year he transferred to Nicolet High School in Glendale, Wisconsin. Johnson helped lead Nicolet to the Division 2 State Championship.[1] He was named the Associated Press Player of the Year for Wisconsin.[1] In 2019, Johnson transferred to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for his senior year.[2] On January 5, 2020, he left IMG Academy, before returning to Nicolet, though not necessarily to play basketball.[3] He was ruled eligible on February 8 to play the remainder of the season for Nicolet after never playing in a game for IMG.[1] As a senior, Johnson averaged 24.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 9 games. He was selected to play in the Jordan Brand Classic, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]

Recruiting

Johnson was rated as a five-star recruit and the No.13 overall recruit in the 2020 high school class.[5]

On July 4, 2019, Johnson committed to play college basketball at Duke University over offers from Arizona, Kentucky, and Wisconsin.[6][7]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jalen Johnson
SF 		Sun Prairie, WI Nicolet (WI) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jul 4, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 94
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 9  247Sports: 14  ESPN: 13
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Duke 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  • "2020 Duke Blue Devils Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 11, 2020.

College career

The 2020–21 Duke Blue Devils team entered the season in the top 10, and Johnson was its most highly rated player. In his first game, Johnson had 19 points and 19 rebounds against Coppin State.[8] On November 30, 2020, Johnson earned ACC Freshman of the Week honors.[9] On January 26, 2021, he scored 18 points and 6 rebounds in a 75–68 win over Georgia Tech.[10]

On February 15, 2021, Johnson announced that he would forgo the remainder of Duke's season to prepare for the 2021 NBA draft. Leaving in the midst of a college season raised many questions, with Johnson claiming that the decision was in the best interest of his family and himself.[11]

During his 13 games as a Blue Devil, Johnson averaged 11.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.[12]

Duke ended its season with 13 wins and 11 losses. They finished 10th in the ACC with a 9–9 record.

Professional career

Atlanta Hawks (2021–present)

On July 29, 2021, Johnson was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 20th pick in the 2021 NBA draft.[13] On August 4, 2021, he signed with the Hawks.[14] Johnson was assigned to the Hawks' NBA G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, for the G League season opener. After the season ended, he underwent a non-surgical left knee procedure.[15]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Atlanta 22 0 5.5 .537 .231 .714 1.2 .1 .1 .1 2.4
2022–23 Atlanta 70 6 14.9 .491 .288 .628 4.0 1.2 .5 .5 5.6
Career 92 6 12.6 .496 .282 .635 3.3 .9 .4 .4 4.9

Play-in

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 Atlanta 1 0 3.4 1.000 1.000 – 2.0 .0 .0 .0 3.0
2023 Atlanta 1 0 14.2 .625 .000 .000 7.0 3.0 3.0 .0 10.0
Career 2 0 8.8 .667 .333 .000 4.5 1.5 1.5 .0 6.5

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 Atlanta 2 0 4.6 .000 .000 — .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
2023 Atlanta 6 0 9.3 .417 .364 1.000 2.5 1.3 .5 .0 4.3
Career 8 0 8.1 .370 .333 1.000 1.9 1.0 .4 .0 3.3

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Duke 13 8 21.4 .523 .444 .632 6.1 2.2 1.2 1.2 11.2

References

  1. ^ a b c Masson, Jon (February 8, 2020). "Jalen Johnson gains eligibility to play at Glendale Nicolet". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  2. ^ Watson, John (August 5, 2019). "Duke's Jalen Johnson will transfer to IMG for senior season". 247Sports. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  3. ^ Stewart, Mark (January 17, 2020). "Duke recruit Jalen Johnson will return to Nicolet for school, not necessarily for basketball". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Jordan, Jason (March 12, 2019). "McDonald's All American Game Cancelled Amid COVID-19 Concerns". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  5. ^ "Jalen Johnson, 2020 Small forward". n.rivals.com. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  6. ^ Caron, Emily (July 4, 2019). "Five-Star Small Forward Jalen Johnson Commits to Duke's 2020 Class". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  7. ^ Borzello, Jeff (July 4, 2019). "No.4 recruit, forward Johnson, commits to Duke". ESPN. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  8. ^ "Johnson, Steward help No. 9 Duke beat Coppin State 81-71". ESPN. Associated Press. November 28, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  9. ^ "Aluma, Johnson Pick Up ACC Men's Basketball Weekly Honors". Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  10. ^ "Duke snaps 3-game skid, holds off Georgia Tech for 75–68 win". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  11. ^ Beard, Aaron (February 15, 2021). "Duke's Johnson is forgoing season, declaring for NBA draft". seattletimes.com. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  12. ^ Gim, Eric (April 1, 2021). "Duke men's basketball 2020–21 season review: Jalen Johnson". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  13. ^ Baer, Jack (July 29, 2021). "Duke freshman Jalen Johnson picked 20th by Hawks after opting out of season". sports.Yahoo.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  14. ^ Hill, Arthur (August 4, 2021). "Hawks Sign Jalen Johnson To Rookie Contract". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  15. ^ "ATLANTA HAWKS INJURY UPDATE – BOGDANOVIC, JOHNSON". NBA. June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.

External links

Atlanta Hawks roster
2021 NBA draft
Categories