Former Nicolet High School star Jalen Johnson is picked by Atlanta Hawks at No. 20 in NBA draft
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After a winding road, Jalen Johnson arrived at the ultimate destination.
Johnson, a former Nicolet High School standout who played an abbreviated season at Duke, was picked by the Atlanta Hawks at No. 20 in the NBA draft on Thursday.
“This is something I dreamed of my whole life,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t seem real, to be honest. Being from Wisconsin you don’t see a lot of guys (drafted), a lot of NBA talent. Recently we have had a couple guys, but prior to that the dream just didn’t seem as real. But I’m blessed to be in this position.”
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The 6-foot-9 Johnson has intriguing physical tools with a strong frame, 7-foot wingspan and impressive leaping ability. His overall game is a work in progress, but he will have time to develop with the Hawks, who made a surprising run in the NBA playoffs before losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals.
“I’m going to help this team in whatever way I need to help them,” Johnson said. “They came off a great season this past year, I’m just willing to do whatever it takes to add on to that.
“The next goal is the (NBA) Finals now. Make it to the Finals. I saw they got to the Eastern Conference finals this past year, but I feel myself fitting in right away with this young, talented group and I’m looking forward to it.”
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Johnson became a coveted recruit at Sun Prairie High School, where he averaged 15 points per game as a freshman. He led the Cardinals to the WIAA Division 1 state semifinals as a sophomore in the 2017-18 season.
The last three years have been full of twists and turns for Johnson.
As a junior, he transferred to Nicolet. He was named the Gatorade state player of the year after averaging 19.9 points per game and helping lead the Knights to the Division 2 state championship.
Johnson, who played for the local Phenom University AAU team, committed to Duke in July 2019.
He then enrolled at national powerhouse IMG Academy in Florida for the start of his senior year, but transferred back to Nicolet in December. After getting cleared by the WIAA, Johnson was back in a Knights uniform in early February 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic ended the season a few weeks later.
Johnson was a projected lottery pick when he arrived at Duke last season. He put up 19 points and 19 rebounds in his debut against Coppin State.
But Johnson suffered a foot injury a few weeks later and missed three games. In his second game back in the lineup, Johnson had 24 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and four blocks against Pittsburgh on Jan. 19.
Johnson soon was moved to a bench role and played just eight minutes against North Carolina State on Feb. 13. Two days later, Johnson announced he was opting out of Duke’s remaining games and declaring for the NBA draft.
“I appreciate everything about my time at Duke,” Johnson said in the news release. “Coach (Mike Krzyzewski), my teammates and the program have been nothing but supportive throughout this season, especially during the rehab of my foot injury. My family, coach and I have made the decision that I should not play the remainder of this season so I can be 100% healthy in preparation for the NBA draft.”
In 13 game with the Blue Devils, Johnson averaged 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
Johnson said he spoke with the Hawks at the NBA combine, but didn’t work out with the team.
“This day, I’ve been anxious just to find out wherever I was going to end up,” Johnson said. “I had no clue who was going to pick me and I feel like I went to the Hawks for a reason.
“Atlanta picked me for a reason and I’m excited to just give them my all. They showed belief in me by picking me, that’s the least I can do is give them 100% every day.”
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former Nicolet High School star Jalen Johnson is picked by Atlanta Hawks at No. 20 in NBA draft