Jalen Johnson Is Having An All-Star Season. And Nikola Jokic Knows It

In any game involving the Denver Nuggets, Nikola Jokic is usually the superstar who puts up statistical anomalies. This past Friday, the Joker surprisingly got upstaged by a youngster who is turning 24 in a couple of weeks.

If Jalen Johnson ever wanted an opportunity to make his All-Star case this season, he had his chance when Jokic and the Nuggets visited State Farm Arena. As daunting as it is to go up against a three-time MVP, Johnson showed no fear, instead putting up numbers that were Jokic-like.

By halftime, Johnson had 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists. For other players, that would have been the stat line at the end of the night. But the 6-foot-8 forward was next-level prolific on Friday, and as a result, the NBA community took notice.

Thanks to Johnson’s extremely prolific performance, the Hawks held a 73–54 lead over the Nuggets, who currently hold one of the best records in the Western Conference. Unfortunately, the monster numbers put up by the fifth-year pro were eclipsed by the visiting team, who spoiled an otherwise scintillating experience for Hawks fans.

In the second half, Denver chipped away at Atlanta’s lead, eventually seizing the lead with a Jonas Valanciunas dunk early in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, the Nuggets escaped with a 134–133 win, with Jokic putting up 40 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.

Johnson, meanwhile, finished with 21 points, 18 rebounds, and 16 assists. After the game, Jokic dished out praise for the opponent that had beaten him to a triple-double that night.

“It’s good to see that his team believes in him. Everybody figured out that he was the guy in the moment,” the Joker told reporters in the post-game media availability. “He was a problem.”

Getting a compliment from a future Hall of Famer like Jokic should be enough to fuel Johnson to keep striving for excellence on the court. As it turned out, Johnson wasn’t done with his mind-blowing stats as he put up another triple-double on Saturday night.

To be exact, Johnson had 3 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists against the Washington Wizards. The best part about this: The Hawks managed to win this time, logging a 131–116 victory. Johnson has a lot more triple-doubles to collect in his career, and by all indications, Jokic knows it.