Playing for a late-1980s Duke basketball point guard in third-year Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder, former No. 20 overall draft pick Jalen Johnson is shining in his fourth season as a pro. The mere 22-year-old, who bolted from Durham and returned to his home state of Wisconsin roughly midway through the 2020-21 Blue Devils’ subpar campaign, is clearly determined to build on his breakout production last go-round.

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In powering the Hawks (4-5) to a 121-116 home win over the New York Knicks (3-4) on Wednesday night, Johnson tallied his second straight double-double and fifth already this season via 23 points and 15 rebounds in 39 minutes on the floor.

He added seven assists and one block, shooting 10-for-18 from the field, including a 3-for-6 clip from three.

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After bumping his scoring average from 5.6 points per game in 2022-23 to 16.0 last season, Jalen Johnson is now averaging an impressive 18.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.6 steals for the 2024-25 Atlanta squad.

Johnson, Snyder, and the Hawks look to record their first back-to-back wins since the first two games of the season when they play on the road against the Detroit Pistons (3-6), including Johnson’s former Duke basketball teammate in reserve guard and third-year pro Wendell Moore Jr., at 7 p.m. ET Friday.

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