Rumor Roundup: Jalen Johnson, Future Mvp?

Your Atlanta Hawks have won nine straight games with a chance to extend that streak to double digits tonight against the Orlando Magic.

It wasn’t always smooth sailing this season, of course. The team made the decision to part with their superstar player, Trae Young, and continued wheeling and dealing all the way up to the trade deadline.

But with a rebuilt roster around Jalen Johnson and others, the Hawks are soaring high with the sixth best net rating (+7.4) since the trade deadline on February 5th. A big part of that has been their sixth best defense in the league in that timespan, logging a defensive rating of 109.2 (as well as, of course, an easy portion of their schedule).

Jake L. Fischer of the Stein Line substack is always tapped into the inner workings of the Hawks. He dropped some inside knowledge and direct quotes on the latest update of this blog — one that covers many topics of interest to Hawks fans.

On the new team cohesion, vibes shift

Fischer was able to speak directly with players in the locker room, and one common refrain was at how the mood around the team has been lifted. New starting point guard Dyson Daniel had this to say, “everyone’s speaking up [and] the locker room’s gelling. Everyone’s speaking in the group chat. It feels like a whole different vibe.”

Jalen Johnson echoed those remarks in part with “[d]uring timeouts it was pretty quiet. A lot of times earlier in the season, we’d just fold,” Johnson detailed along with referencing a 23-point collapse at home against the Denver Nuggets on December 5th this season. “But our communication [now] allows us to stay together in those moments. Everybody’s coming to the timeout and speaking their mind.”

“This is the closest-knit team I’ve been on with Atlanta,” he would later tell Fischer.

Additionally, newcomer CJ McCollum has pushed a new mantra for this team: ‘[i]f you’ve got something on your mind … say it.’

On Johnson and Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors

Fischer wrote the following passage recounting the saga leading up to the trade deadline — a saga that included a high-profile agent who represents Johnson speaking all too publicly on podcast.

Atlanta would have been a natural trade partner for Milwaukee given the control that the Hawks have over the Bucks’ top selections in the next two drafts, but league sources say that Atlanta has always viewed the notion of trading the 24-year-old Johnson for Antetokounmpo to be a complete non-starter.

The Hawks’ in-house belief, frankly, is that Johnson has MVP potential. So they were very much covering their ears in December when Johnson’s agent, Rich Paul, on his Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman, came out and suggested that the Bucks target Milwaukee native Johnson as the headline return in a deal for The Greek Freak.

“That was probably the first time in my career [hearing] the rumors and stuff like that,” Johnson told The Stein Line. “But I got reassurance from everyone around here that that’s not the plan. Obviously it means a lot … the trust they have in me and the belief they have in me.”

On Onyeka Okongwu’s trade interest

The Indiana Pacers made a big move for Ivica Zubac at the latest deadline. But they (and others) reportedly had their eyes on a different center. Fischer continued:

Atlanta likewise swatted away in-season trade interest from rival teams (Indiana perhaps loudest among them) in Okongwu. “I love being with the Hawks, man,” Atlanta’s starting center told me. “I appreciate all the guys trusting in me and wanting me here.”

On CJ McCollum’s future in Atlanta

CJ McCollum is a fourteen-year veteran in the NBA on the last year of his contract. At his age of 34, this upcoming free agency period is likely his final chance to cash in a multi-year deal.

Since coming to Atlanta, McCollum has put up similar numbers to his previous stops in the league, averaging 18.6 points and 3.7 assists per game on 45% shooting from the floor and 35% from three.

Naturally, Fischer was inclined to inquire about McCollum’s desire to remain with the Hawks past this summer. His response, in part, was this somewhat cryptic exchange (brackets to indicate the speaker are my own insertions):

[CJM]: You might have two situations you end up having to choose between.

[JLF]: What’s the other situation?

[CJM]: You know as well as I do that there’s a lot that can change between now and June 30. Another team needs a scoring guard, offers the same amount…

What do you think? Does Jalen Johnson have ‘MVP upside’? Should the Hawks re-sign CJ McCollum after the season?

Please let me know in the comments.