Jalen Johnson

The historian who first coined the phrase, “what goes around, comes back around” certainly couldn’t have known every way it would be connected through history. Though, they would be happy to know that Jalen Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks have applied it flawlessly in nearly every recent meeting against the defending-champion Boston Celtics. Having a hand in seemingly every play during Atlanta’s come-from-behind NBA Cup win on November 12, 2024, Johnson opts for a creative instance with the Hawks just possessions shy of one of league history’s great against-the-spread upsets. Timing a drive with his teammate’s ghost pick-and-pop perfectly, Johnson, catching Boston unbalanced, whirls an across-the-rim circus shot over Jaylen Brown’s contest, trimming a once-sizable deficit to just one in the final minute-and-a-half. Just eight months removed from securing a 30-point comeback — its franchise’s largest — against a near-identical Boston juggernaut last season, Johnson’s poise and command yielded eye-opening results once more. At ease, even without his All-Star floor general, Johnson recorded 18 points (on 8-of-16 shooting), 12 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals, one block, and two 3-pointers, tallying his burgeoning career’s second triple-double.