With him around, the Hawks don’t need to rush into going all-in on Giannis.

What does it feel like to produce Nikola Jokic-like numbers when facing him?

In the game where the Nuggets rallied from a 23-point deficit to defeat the Hawks, Jalen Johnson had 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists by halftime, securing a triple-double in just over one quarter. With his constant facilitation, six Hawks players reached double figures in scoring by halftime, a notably uncommon statistic.

According to the stats, Jalen Johnson achieved his triple-double in just 16 minutes and 44 seconds, making it the second fastest in NBA history. So who holds the fastest? Naturally, it’s Jokic, who once recorded a triple-double in 14 minutes and 33 seconds.

The Hawks had a smooth first half, leading the Nuggets by as much as 23 points, but the game shifted dramatically in the second half. Jokic, who was just 2-for-13 in the first half, seemed to wake up suddenly, going a perfect 7-for-7 in the third quarter with 19 points, and hitting clutch shots in the final moments of the fourth quarter. He finished the game with 40 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists.

In the fourth quarter, the Hawks were once hit by a massive 20-0 run from the Nuggets, who shot 8-for-9 from beyond the arc in that period. Under such circumstances, the Hawks pushing the game to the final possession was already a strong effort, but unfortunately, they faced a dominant Jokic on the other side.

In the end, Jalen recorded 21 points, 18 rebounds, 16 assists, and 2 steals, becoming the first player in Hawks history to post a 15+15+15 stat line. At 23 years and 354 days old, Jalen Johnson also became the youngest forward in history to record a 20+15+15 performance in a regular season game.

This season, Jalen gives the impression of delivering a new career night every few games. Excluding today, his last three games included stat lines of 29 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists; 41 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists; and 29 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists.

His best game this season was in mid-November against the Jazz, where Jalen exploded for 31 points, 18 rebounds, 14 assists, and 7 steals. No player in NBA history has ever posted such a stat line in a single game; Jalen was the first. Among current players, only Jalen and Chris Paul have recorded 30+ points and 7 steals in a game.

So far this season, Jalen averages 23.2 points, 10 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game with a shooting percentage of 53.9% and a three-point shooting rate of 41.3%. In the league, the only players averaging 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 7+ assists per game are Jokic and Jalen.

Trae Young’s assessment of Jalen reflects his recent leadership: “Clearly, throughout this journey, he’s been carrying us forward, putting up insane numbers and playing with incredible efficiency.”

In games where Trae Young has played this season, the Hawks have a 2-3 record. Despite a recent three-game losing streak, they still hold a 13-11 record. When Young was injured early in the season, fans were pessimistic about the Hawks’ outlook, but Jalen Johnson quickly emerged as the new leader, delivering performances worthy of All-NBA honors.

Actually, Jalen showed signs of rising last season. Before his season-ending injury, he averaged 18.9 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1 block per game, already resembling a playmaking forward. After Young’s injury this season, coach Snyder fully entrusted Jalen with the ball, boosting his numbers and truly leading the team to wins.

It’s hard to imagine that this new Hawks leader only played 22 games in his rookie season, averaging just 5.5 minutes per game. Besides the coach’s lack of trust, Jalen’s history of frequently transferring schools before entering the NBA also contributed to this limited opportunity.

Since childhood, Jalen was a gifted basketball talent who stood out in high school, but he transferred four times during those four years. After transferring to IMG Academy in Florida, he didn’t play a single game before transferring again. Throughout his senior year, due to frequent moves, he only played 9 games, causing his national ranking to drop to 13th.

His Duke debut amazed everyone as he scored 19 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, and blocked 4 shots with 100% shooting. However, after only 13 college games, Jalen abruptly left Duke to focus on preparing for the NBA draft, which directly led to Duke missing the NCAA tournament that year.

In terms of physical gifts, Jalen is one of the top forwards in the 2021 class with solid immediate impact, but his frequent “running away” incidents caused him to slide to the 20th pick in the draft, where the Hawks selected him. He spent his rookie season mostly on the bench.

Jalen’s career turning point came in his second year when the Hawks fired coach McMillan and hired Quin Snyder. Under Snyder’s guidance, Jalen gradually earned trust and the team developed him into a starting forward and the next Hawks leader.

Recently, trade rumors about Giannis have intensified, with the Hawks widely seen as a dark horse in the Giannis trade market. The Hawks’ main assets include De’Andre Hunter and future first-round picks, especially the unprotected first-round pick from the Pelicans next year, which is highly valuable (thanks to the Pelicans). The Hawks could include Trae Young in a trade, but the Bucks might not want him.

The Hawks can trade Giannis, but with Jalen emerging so strongly, they are in no hurry. After all, Jalen and Giannis play similar styles, and Giannis’s arrival would inevitably limit Jalen’s growth. The Hawks currently have a healthy roster and see no need to risk everything by going all-in.

From averaging 5.5 minutes as a rookie to becoming Atlanta’s new Hawks leader, Jalen Johnson’s journey offers some inspiration to Yang Hansheng: enduring hardship fuels ambition, and perseverance will eventually lead to success.