Nuggets' David Adelman Had Strong Praise for Hawks F Jalen Johnson

The Denver Nuggets were able to put together an inspiring comeback victory down the stretch of their road matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, going from trailing as far as 23 points at one point in the night before ultimately getting over the hump in the final minutes, claiming a 134-133 win for their 16th on the season.

Thanks to a 40-point explosion from Nikola Jokic, a 23 and 12 performance from Jamal Murray, and a resilient second half to climb back for a surging victory, the night was a great one for the Nuggets that continues their stretch of road dominance to nine straight wins when away from home.

But the Hawks certainly didn't go down without a fight, and those efforts were spearheaded by forward Jalen Johnson, who had a Joker-esque statline of 21 points, 18 rebounds, and 16 assists through 38 minutes, even piecing together a triple-double by halftime.

It continues a notably strong year from Johnson in Atlanta since returning from this season-ending injury that derailed his previous campaign, and after the game, Nuggets head coach David Adelman made sure to pay some respect his way.

"There's so much optionality to [Jalen Johnson's] decision making," Adelman said after Denver's win over the Hawks.

"There's guys that are so gifted at scoring the ball, or so gifted at getting other people the ball, when you play somebody that can do both and they get into space, there really is a 50-50 field to how you rotate, because you're not fully committing to anything because anything could happen."

David Adelman Had High Praise for Jalen Johnson

Through 20 games on the year, Johnson has averaged a career-high 23.2 points and 7.3 assists, along with 10.0 rebounds on 53.9% field goal shooting and 41.3% from three. It'll be extremely tough to keep him out of All-Star conversations leading up to February, and nights like these against Denver prove exactly why he's worthy of being named one of the best rising talents in the league.

Dec 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) passes around Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) and forward Spencer Jones (21) in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Adelman even went as far as to compare some of the usage Johnson is involved in to how the Nuggets operate with Jokic, considering the fifth-year forward as largely of Atlanta's offensive "hub,"

"And with his size, Jalen, and the way he handles the ball, and the way he wants his teammates to touch the ball, his his future is so bright. And I love the offense running for him. It reminds me of things we try to do with Nikola [Jokic], where he's not a position, he's a hub, and you play through him, and you know he's gonna make his teammates better."

"So Jalen [Johnson's] really, really special player. I wish he hadn't come back tonight. But obviously, he did, and his numbers were outrageous."

Thankfully, the Nuggets won't have to match up against Johnson again until January for what'll be their second and final meeting of the season vs. the Hawks. But best believe that when that time comes, Adelman will be honed in on trying to stop one key name in the lineup.

David Adelman Had High Praise for Jalen Johnson

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