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The Atlanta Hawks are hoping for big things in the 2024-25 and recently secured their future at the power forward position by signing Jalen Johnson to a five year, $150 million fully guaranteed contract extension. The Hawks waited until the very last minute on Monday evening to make the move, as the team would have let Johnson hit restricted free agency next summer if they had not reached an agreement with him.
Instead, the arguable one beacon of legitimate hope for the Hawks moving forward is here to stay, and Johnson shared with WSB's Zach Klein that he was emotional after telling his mom the news of his extension.
Johnson also spoke on some of the criticism he endured for the way things went down during his time with the Duke Blue Devils and how that factored into the emotions he is feeling now that he has secured generational wealth.
“I wouldn't even have imagined this,” said Johnson. “There was a point in time in college where the whole world was against me and all of these narratives. Just me working every day to defeat those narratives and show people who I really am. I've done that up until this point and it's been great to see everything come about.”
Johnson played at Duke during the COVID-affected 2020-2021 college basketball season, and his decision to leave the team midway through raised some eyebrows.
However, none of that deterred the Hawks from drafting Johnson the following summer, where he has since blossomed into an All-Star level talent.
What is Jalen Johnson's ceiling?
On paper, Jalen Johnson has just about everything that a team would look for in someone to build around for the modern NBA.
At 6'8″ and 220 pounds, Johnson has the frame of a prototypical NBA power forward but with the explosiveness and dexterity of some of the league's best athletes, making him a nightmare for opposing teams to try to cover in transition.
Johnson also flashed elite playmaking ability last season for the Hawks as well as an improved three-point shot that only figures to get better as his career progresses.
While his defensive instincts can still use some improvement, Johnson has all of the physical tools to be a positive on that end of the floor, and will likely have an easier time there this year with the defensive upgrades the Hawks made this summer.
In any case, Johnson and the Hawks are set to get their 2024-25 season underway on Wednesday at home vs the Brooklyn Nets.
