In their podcast “Mind The Game”, LeBron James and Steve Nash showered praise on the league’s emerging stars. Besides Deni Avdija and Stephon Castle, Jalen Johnson was the best deal from the Lakers player.
With a strong element of comparison laid out from the outset: Scottie Pippen. « Obviously he still has a long way to go “, formulates the “King” as a limit to this parallel established with the former legend of the Bulls, Hall of Famer, seven times All-Star and six times NBA champion.
« But as far as talent is concerned, when you see a guy with long arms, who is 2m06 or 2m08 (editor’s note: Jalen Johnson is listed at 2m03 on the league’s official website), who runs like a deer and is super athletic… He has also improved his exterior touch », notes LeBron James when thinking of the Hawks player’s 3-point progress: 36.7% this season, his personal best.
We will understand that the comparison, beyond the athletic aspect of two men with the same physique (2m03, a little less than 100 kilos), is also on the jack-of-all-trades side of the game.
A collection of triple-doubles
« He puts pressure on the rim, he has the ability to get rebounds, and he knows how to defend. He can defend on positions 1 to 5, well, on the majority of leaders and pivots. And his playmaking, I see that he will continue to progress in this area », Projects the Lakers player.
Jalen Johnson, who took advantage of Trae Young’s absence to gain responsibility, has already made a serious leap forward in the field with an average of 8.4 assists, alongside his 10.4 rebounds and 23.7 points. Behind Nikola Jokic, he is the player to have achieved the most triple-doubles this season (7). He could also tickle the Serb more, because he often missed a pass or a rebound to complete it.
« In our league, it’s all about confidence and opportunity. Once you take that opportunity and your confidence grows, you start to think, ‘I can do this every night.’ It won’t always be a triple-double. It won’t always be 15 assists. But you start to understand the nuances of the game, making the right choice and that kind of thing », Continues LeBron James.
Looking at Jalen Johnson’s curves, there’s no doubt: the confidence is there. “ I love his ceiling. I don’t know where it is exactly, but I know it’s not low. I think it’s very high and I can’t wait to see what happens next. He’s on course to be an All-Star in the East this year, that’s for sure. », Predicts the “King”.
| Jalen Johnson | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saison | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | To | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2021-22 | ATL | 22 | 5:27 | 53.7 | 23.1 | 71.4 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 2.4 |
| 2022-23 | ATL | 70 | 14:53 | 49.1 | 28.8 | 62.8 | 0.7 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 5.6 |
| 2023-24 | ATL | 56 | 33:44 | 51.1 | 35.5 | 72.8 | 1.3 | 7.4 | 8.7 | 3.6 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 16.0 |
| 2024-25 | ATL | 36 | 35:40 | 50.0 | 31.2 | 74.6 | 1.7 | 8.3 | 10.0 | 5.0 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 1.0 | 18.9 |
| 2025-26 | ATL | 34 | 35:28 | 52.1 | 36.7 | 80.4 | 1.5 | 8.9 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 3.6 | 0.5 | 23.7 |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
