Atlanta Hawks starter and former Duke basketball forward Jalen Johnson entered Thursday night’s 141-133 home victory over the Chicago Bulls with career-high season averages across the board. And he 23-year-old boosted those marks in the scoring and rebounding departments, delivering the most productive outing in his fourth year as a pro.
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Johnson, drafted No. 20 overall to the Hawks in 2021 despite leaving the 2020-21 Blue Devils and returning to his home state of Wisconsin roughly a month before that season ended, tallied a career-high 30 points against the Bulls, shooting 11-for-16 from the field and 8-for-9 at the charity stripe. He added 15 rebounds, four assists, and two steals across his team-high 39 minutes on the floor.
Now averaging 19.8 points, 10.5 boards, 5.5 dimes, 1.4 steals, and 1.0 blocks, Jalen Johnson appears well on his way to earning his first NBA All-Star nod.
Evidently, the Blue Devils’ social media team believes he’s already deserving of that distinction:
All-Star ⭐️ https://t.co/S8N5X8IQCo
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) December 27, 2024
The Hawks, coached by late-1980s Duke basketball point guard and 1990s Blue Devil assistant Quin Snyder, improved to 16-15 overall. They now sit alone at No. 7 in the Eastern Conference standings.
Snyder, Johnson, and the Hawks look to extend their two-game winning streak when they host the Miami Heat (15-13) at 3 p.m. ET Saturday.
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