Top players rankings list are always hot topics to debate no matter the sport. The NFL top 100 list always gains attention from fans and players and while the Hoopshype top 100 player rankings for the upcoming NBA season does not draw the same amount of attention, it is an interesting look to see how some of the best analysts in the game view the players for the upcoming year.
In the recently released top 100 players list from Hoopshype, the Atlanta Hawks had two players land on the list. Jalen Johnson, the Hawks breakout star from last season, checked in at No. 68 on the list and three-time All-Star point guard Trae Young came in at No. 29. Here is what they had to say about both players:
68. Jalen Johnson
2023-24 stats: 16.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.8 bpg, 51.1 FG%, 35.5 3P% in 56 games
Another breakout young swingman with big potential, Atlanta Hawks 3-man Jalen Johnson just posted the best season of his career, putting up career-highs in every single category and looking like a potential building block for Atlanta.
Despite heading into his fourth season, Johnson is still just 22 years old, so there is still plenty of room for more growth out of the former Duke Blue Devil. Johnson might even have potential future All-Star in him, especially if he takes another leap in 2024-25, which we think he is capable of. After all, putting up a 16/8/3 stat line while shooting over 51 percent from the floor at 22 years old is no easy feat, as evidenced by the fact Johnson is one of just 14 players ever to manage that, a list that features some very big names.
That’s probably why reports came out this summer that Johnson is the only untouchable player on the Hawks roster, which is impressive considering that same roster still has three-time All-Star Trae Young on it.
Clearly, Atlanta sees big-time potential in the fourth-year pro. It’ll be interesting to find out what kind of leap Johnson is able to take in 2024-25. Based on his athleticism, freakish scoring around the rim and off-the-dribble bucket-getting ability from the midrange, there could be another level for Johnson to hit in the upcoming campaign, an exciting proposition for Hawks fans.”
29. Trae Young
2023-24 stats: 25.7 ppg, 10.8 apg, 2.8 rpg, 1.3 spg, 43.0% FG%, 37.3% 3P% in 54 games
“One of just two players in league history to lead the NBA in total points and in total assists in the same season, which happened back in 2021-22, Atlanta Hawks lead guard Trae Young remains extremely productive, putting up over 25 points and 10 assists per game this season, a campaign in which he was named an All-Star for the third time in his career.
But the Hawks haven’t won over 43 games since 2015-16 (they were on pace to in 2020-21 but that was the post-COVID shortened season), with things really bottoming out last year as Atlanta went 36-46 and missed out on the playoffs. Maybe things will be better now that Young’s backcourt mate Dejounte Murray was traded but truth be told, the soon-to-be-26-year-old’s stock is pretty low right now. (That was reportedly reflected with his trade market this summer, too.)
Young may be a great player on offense – a huge scorer with excellent playmaking abilities – but he’s just not that efficient with his buckets, shooting 43.6 percent from the floor for his career and 35.5 percent from three, and his defense is next to non-existent.
Right now, it looks like it would take some very impressive roster-building for the Hawks to be able to build a contender around Young, with Atlanta’s 2020-21 march to the Eastern Conference Finals – led by Young – looking more and more like an aberration.
Regardless, his production is impossible to ignore so even with all that said, we still believe Young to be roughly a Top 10 point guard in the NBA today.”
I think Johnson’s ranking is fair due to him just having one real season of production, but I would suspect he is higher on this list at this time next year. If Johnson can become a more consistent three-point shooter and a secondary playmaker next to Young, I expect him to shoot up the rankings.
I would argue Young should be higher. He is behind point guards like Tyrese Maxey, De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Ja Morant, and Damian Lillard, and I would argue Young is better than those players. He has had as much playoff success as any of them and is one of the top three passers in the league. I think poor roster construction has failed Young since the Hawks made the run to the Conference Finals, but that could change this year.
As long as Young is the primary creator on offense, the Hawks should have a top offense in the NBA, but it has been the other side of the court that has given them issues. Bringing in Dyson Daniels via the Dejounte Murray trade, drafting Risacher, and hoping that Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, Clint Capela, and De’Andre Hunter can continue to defend at an above-average level. If the Hawks can get better on that end, then I think they could be a surprise team in 2024-2025.
