There are not many stories better in the NBA right now than Hawks forward Jalen Johnson. Johnson has continued his ascent in the NBA and has emerged as a fringe MVP candidate in the first half of the season.
Tonight against the Denver Nuggets, Johnson was able to make Hawks history. Johnson became the first Hawk in the the play-by-play era to record a triple-double in a single half. It’s his third triple-double of the season, the most in a single season by a Hawk since Doc Rivers (3, 1987-88).
Jalen Johnson (11 PTS, 10 REB, 12 AST) is the first Hawk in the the play-by-play era to record a triple-double in a single half. It’s his third triple-double of the season, the most in a single season by a Hawk since Doc Rivers (3, 1987-88).
— Hawks PR (@HawksPR) December 6, 2025
The Hawks team could not be stopped in the first half of tonight’s game vs Denver and Johnson was a huge reason why. He was finding open guys in the corner and running the floor in transition. Atlanta shot 59% from the floor in the first half and 54% from three. Six players were in double figures. It was arguably the best single half of basketball that the team has played so far this season.
All-Star?
Nov 30, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) controls the ball against Philadelphia 76ers forward Dominick Barlow (25) in the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Johnson is putting up big time numbers this season and is making the case to be an All-Star when it comes time. Bleacher Report analyst Mo Dakhil recently wrote that Johnson is one of five players making the leap to be an All-Star this season:
“If it were not for an injury early last season, Jalen Johnson would have made this All-Star leap in 2024-25. The good news, though, is that the injury issue from last year hasn’t slowed him down.
In fact, Johnson has been even better in 2025-26.
On the scoring front, Johnson has taken his game to another level, averaging 22.8 points per game on shooting splits of 58/40/81.2—all career-highs (PPG included). He is getting to the line nearly five times per game, and he has been one of the main reasons the Atlanta Hawks have been able to thrive with Trae Young out of the lineup.
Beyond scoring, Johnson has also taken his playmaking to new heights. He’s averaging 6.6 assists, up from 5 last season, which is another career high. And he’s taken on the role of lead playmaker alongside Nickeil Alexander-Walker, since Young was injured—and the Hawks have not skipped a beat.”
Just recently, Johnson was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week after leading the Hawks to a 4-0 record, with all of those wins coming on the road.
In four games played that week, Johnson averaged 24.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 2.5 steals in 34.8 minutes of play (.603 FG%, .571 3FG%, .783 FT%). He led Atlanta to a perfect 4-0 record, sweeping its Western Conference road trip, the first time the club has swept a Western Conference trip (of at least four games) since 1970-71.
The 6-9 forward finished his week posting 25 points on 9-13 shooting from the field, including a 2-3 clip from deep and 5-6 from the free throw line, 10 rebounds, seven assists and one steal in 39 minutes in a 124-122 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, Nov. 16. Johnson, who registered his third straight game with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, helped lead Atlanta to its largest comeback with less than 10 minutes to play in franchise history. Down by 22 points (103-81) with 9:50 left to play in regulation, the Hawks, who went on a 19-0 run from 8:21 in the fourth quarter to 4:34, outscored the Suns 43-19 the rest of the contest, securing their fourth win this past week and fifth straight victory.
On the second night of a back-to-back (Nov. 13), Johnson put up a historic stat line of 31 points (career high), 18 rebounds (career high), 14 assists (career high) and seven steals (career high) in a 132-122 win over the Utah Jazz (10-19 FGM, 4-5 3FGM, 7-11 FTM). Johnson became the first player in the NBA since 1973-74 (when steals became official) to record at least 31 points, 18 rebounds, 14 assists and seven steals in a single game and just the seventh player to notch a 30-point, seven-steal triple-double.
In a 133-100 win over Sacramento on Nov. 12, the fifth-year forward tallied 24 points on 9-10 shooting from the field, in addition to 10 rebounds, eight assists and one steal in 24 minutes of action. He became the first player in the NBA this season to finish a game with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in fewer than 25 minutes of play and just the second player in NBA history to do so while shooting .900%-or-better from the field, per Elias Sports (Dewayne Dedmon, Nov. 15, 2017).
Johnson and the Hawks began their week with a 105-102 win over the LA Clippers. He recorded a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double in the victory, in addition to eight assists, one steal and one block in 35 minutes.
He is becoming one of the bright stars in the NBA and he is only getting started.
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