[Turral2Participant]

I Said This last week..he will be a bust in the nba….. he is a power forward…

[lalailaParticipant]

not PF not bust..NOT 2nd pick IMO

[gatorheelsParticipant]

Wesley has a lot of work to do if he plays SF in the NBA.  How is he going to score?…besides open jumpshots.  He can’t dribble past defenders.  Who is he going to guard?….Granger, Pierce, Durant, Melo, LeBron, Gay…YIKES…thats not happening.  

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

There is a difference between being a bust and being a traditional #2 or #3 pick caliber player. I wouldn’t take him over Turner, and don’t know why anyone would. I think he should absolutely go before Aminu. Part of me wonders if Ebanks will end up being a better player, in part because he already has the look of a defensive stopper, but it is probably hard to make that argument given where his shot is at right now. I think I have written this before but he will probably be in the Matt Barnes to Marvin Williams range as a pro. He can shoot, he can crash, he can slip, and his athleticism can be utilized to do some nice things defensively. Where you want to take a player like that is up to you.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

I don’t think Wesley will be a bust. A lot of people don’t remember, but Granger played primarily at power forward his first couple of seasons with the Pacers. Granger wasn’t always the player we see today. He had to work on his perimeter skills. I see a lot of him in Wesley. It’ll take Wesley 2-3 seasons, but I really feel he *could* become a big time small forward.

[Turral2Participant]

He has no one on one skills at all…..he is physically weak….he has no change of direction game…he is not a clever player… Granger was more polished tezo… if you know basketball and have the abiltiy to scout you will see that he is not a nba small forward….and then on top of that he is a defensive liabilty on the next level…..

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

He’s not a perfect prospect at all and has his weaknesses, but it’s a little too pre-mature to say he’ll be a bust in the NBA. He’ll definitely need to bulk up, which shouldn’t be a problem. He has a quick first step, but will definitely need to work on his ball handling and one on one skills. Like I said… It may take him a couple of seasons, but I don’t see any reason why he can’t get there. He may or he may not… The potential is there though if he puts in the work. I’m not comparing him excactly to Granger, but my point is… Granger didn’t come into the NBA as a NBA small forward. He was a power forward. He had to, and is still, working on his perimeter game. Granger wasn’t always able to put the ball on the floor and create his own shot. That took a couple of seasons. I’ve had season tickets for awhile and I remember 2005 very well.

Name a player from Syracuse that’s come into the NBA a great defender lol. He has ALL of the physical tools to be a versatile defender in the NBA. All he needs is coaching and experience in that area. I don’t see this being a problem for him in the NBA.

Like I said… Him reaching his potential will depend on his ability to put the ball on the floor and create his own shot… IF he can do that, I think he’ll have a chance to be a big time small forward.

[Disrespect_MeParticipant]

how many premier SFs are

6’7 220?

Caron Butler is 6’6.5
Al Thornton is 6’7 220

Johnson is fine

if you have no handle post up!

why are you hating so much on Johnson?

[Disrespect_MeParticipant]

he’s a post player on OFFENSE

he’s a shooting guard on DEFENSE

[lalailaParticipant]

i think Johnson is nothing like 220

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

Al Thornton is a NBA small forward who started off at power forward. He started off defending in the post, but has made that transition out to the perimeter. He defends the 3 and 4. His ability to put the ball on the floor has improved, but it’s still average at best. He has little 3P range, so he does most of his damage from 17 feet in and posting up.

I don’t see why Johnson can’t be better than him. Johnson will be fine. He just needs to put in the work. I’d give Johnson 200 lbs, but I think he could get another 15 lbs on his frame.

[Turral2Participant]

Thorton is not that good imo.. and thats who your going off then… ..johnson is in a world of trouble.. at least thorton is physically imposing..

[Disrespect_MeParticipant]

Al Thornton got outmuscled by Carmelo Anthony last week

imagine what Lebron would do to him/Wesley Johnson

if u draft Johnson to defend “power 3s” he will likely fail

NBA is all about matchups

would you rather have Wesley Johnson

guard 6’7 205 lb Kobe Bryant

or 6’8 270 slasher Lebron James

guard 185 lb Kevin Martin and vice versa lol

or 6’9 210 Omri Casspi

it depends what team he goes to

but defensively he would be better off defending SGs

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

Are you stupid? I’m not going off of Thornton. I’m using him as an example of a player who came into the NBA as a power forward, but moved to the perimeter. I’m saying that if Thornton, a player who’s not that great, can do it… Then why can’t Johnson? You act like Johnson becoming a perimeter player is impossible… Get that hate out of your system.

[Disrespect_MeParticipant]

my point was that Johnson would be better off

defending shooting guards

Al Thornton was just a projection of what Johnson would play like if he bulked up to 220.

[tonyl33Participant]

Why can’t Wes Johnson play the 2/3 role? He’s 6’7 and he’s quick enough to guard SGs as well as the smaller forwards like Thornton. He has the ability to block shots on defense, and who said he was gong to play PF? If you draft Johnson to play PF, then you should be fired. He’ll be playing the SF/SG position in the NBA depending on what team he plays for. Look at Cory Brewer, he’s 6’9 playing SG for the Wolves, he’s starting to fill into his role this year average close to 18 ppg.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

And Cory Brewer was HORRIBLE at putting the ball on the floor when he came into the league. It’s taken him a few seasons, but he’s finally starting to put it together.

Acting like it’s impossible for Wesley to move to the perimeter is silly…

[Clyde-Glide10]

I think he can be good. But I’m not taking him number 2 overall. He has a ceiling and I believe it’s close to what we see now.

[JNixonParticipant]

I agree with everything Tezo is saying….He’s pretty much got it perfect:

Wesley Johnson is more of a SF than PF to me.

At worst he’s an Al Thornton type, but with better range on his shot. At best he’s a Danny Granger type.

Many forget this but Granger, even as recently as yesterday against Philly, played significant minutes and he even started the game at PF. He’s more of a SF than PF, but he can play minutes at both spots. Danny Granger isn’t a great ball-handler either, but I don’t think anyone sees his value at PF being more than at SF. Lets be realistic. I watched the game yesterday and pretty much followed Johnson’s every move and I didn’t see anything that leads me to believe he’s more of a frontline player. He’s a much more perimeter oriented player than that.

I think he’ll be a borderline All-Star after his 2nd season, but as he develops his handle more he’ll develop into an All-Star. Similar to Granger in 08-09.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

IF he improves at putting the ball on the floor and creating his own shot, his ceiling is way higher than what we see now…

Any GM who takes him with the 2nd pick would be silly, but mid to late lottery… He’s worth the risk. Danny Granger fell all the way down to 17 in 2005.

[Clyde-Glide10]

He’d be perfect for a team like Golden State.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

He has to bulk up another 15-20 lbs, improve his ball handling and ability to create his own shot, but I really think he can be a more athletic Danny Granger. I really like his jumpshot… He has very good range and a quick release. He has a lot of the same qualities Granger had when he entered the league.

[JNixonParticipant]

He’d be good for Minnesota and any team in need of a SF in the lotto.

[Author]

Posts