Jalen Johnson score 28 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in his Atlanta Hawks game versus the Milwaukee Bucks. His team lost but the good takeaway from it is that he had a great game again.
The 24-year-old forward is in discussions for his first All-Star Game appearance but things have gone southways lately and many are blaming the arrival of CJ McCollum.
The 2016 Most Improved Player of the Year was traded to the Hawks in exchange for their franchise player Trae Young. Cory Kispert was also thrown in in the deal.
Johnson had a three-game stretch of bad shooting night. He is being patient though. He sees McCollum as a great addition to the team.
“He’s a good vet to have. He’s someone who’s in constant communication with everybody,” he said after the Bucks loss.
“You’re going to have growing pains, especially when you’re trying to integrate new guys into the group, but thankfully, we have two smart guys who came in, and they’re adjusting pretty quickly. We just gotta stick with it and stay consistent with everything.”
Jalen Johnson reacts to All-Star game voting
His All-Star Game chances might not really be gone as coaches will need to vote for the reserves. He already built a foundation for that, averaging an almost triple double of 23.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Media and players love him. He got the seventh most points in players votes and 7 in media votes. He is seventh overall in the Eastern Conference ranking.
He found it cool that he got such votes but insisted that he is more focused on the collective goal.
“That’s cool, but I’m more focused on getting back in the win column. That’s priority number one,” he said.
Hawks are now in danger of dropping below the play-in as they only have a half-game lead over the Bucks. Next for them are the Memphis Grizzlies and the Phoenix Suns.
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