“ DJ (Dejounte Murray) makes the pass to him and basically tells him to shoot. There is no hesitation. » Quin Snyder has just summed up in a few words the action that killed the Sixers last night in overtime in Atlanta. A fixation from the former Spurs leader which tightened the opposing defense and created an opening for the hero of the evening, Jalen Johnson.
“ When you have Dejounte Murray in isolation, you have to help. My defender (Patrick Berveley) went to help and (Murray) found me for 3-point shooting. So it's the right choice on his part. I just had to take this shot “, delivers the strong winger who showed his smile after this converted shot 40 seconds from the end.
The 22-year-old found a way to show himself again a few seconds later, landing a pass on the free line where he did not tremble to give his team the victory. He thus finished with one of the most successful matches of his young career: 25 points (8/13 on shots), 16 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 blocks in 41 minutes.
He who hasn't stopped pushing his points record lately has set a passing record last night. “ I feel confident. That's probably one of the best parts, being able to create. I'm very comfortable with that, especially having guys who can get shots in, that helps. There wouldn't be seven assists without that », he remarks.
Little used at the start of a career
As his coach notes, Jalen Johnson let the game come to him and didn't force much (a lost ball). Above all, he bounced back after two less remarkable outings in a row (Pacers and Magic) (12 points each time).
“ The most notable thing is that he didn't have his best game the other night against Orlando. It's something we talked about, he took responsibility and got up. It's the same as missing a shot, you take the next one. He knows how much I trust him. And he could feel the confidence of his teammates this evening », Judges the former Jazz technician, still thinking about this offering from Dejounte Murray.
Quin Snyder believes that “ it's part of the process of becoming a really good player. That's what he wants to do. The thing about his development is that we all see, the staff, the players, you (the journalists), exciting things. But we can also forget the fact that, I don't know how many minutes per game Jalen has played so far this year, but it's not 30 minutes per game. »
It was half as much last year, while the 20th choice of the 2021 Draft had an anecdotal rookie year. These first two years seem distant now considering his current production.
| Jalen Johnson | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2021-22 | ATL | 22 | 6 | 53.7 | 23.1 | 71.4 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 2.4 |
| 2022-23 | ATL | 70 | 15 | 49.1 | 28.8 | 62.8 | 0.7 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 5.6 |
| 2023-24 | ATL | 21 | 31 | 58.3 | 37.7 | 79.6 | 1.3 | 6.9 | 8.2 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 15.0 |
| Total | 113 | 16 | 52.8 | 31.5 | 69.4 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 6.7 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
