13 - David Johnson

6-4, 205 Point Guard
Louisville Sophomore
Birthday
02/26/01 (23.1 yrs)
Hometown
Louisville, KY
High School
Trinity
Team Site Profile
Athleticism
8
Size
8
Defense
7
Strength
7
Quickness
8
Leadership
7
Jump Shot
7
NBA Ready
7
Ball Handling
7
Potential
8
Passing
7
Intangibles
7

NBA Comparison: Wade Baldwin

Strengths: Johnson is a tall combo guard prospect who stands 6’4 200 with a big 6’10.5 wingspan … A smooth, sneaky athlete on the court who tested very well with a 39” vertical and 3.03 3/4 court sprint at the NBA combine … Pretty good versatility in his overall game, can play off the ball some even though he seems more comfortable looking to create … Was used as a backdoor/lob threat at times at Louisville, giving his length and leaping ability…Uses his size well when asked to be a facilitator, can ambidextrously make passes over the top of the defense and shows pretty good court vision when operating on the move and in transition … Did some good things as a playmaker at Louisville, particularly in the pick and roll, and usually made a few impressive pocket passes each game … His ability to deliver passes with good timing is also a strength, often whizzes skip passes to shooters if the defense collapses the paint … Has a nice post game for a young guard prospect, can body up smaller players and shoot or pass over them … Effective, instinctive defender (1.1 spg as a Soph.), uses his length to force difficult shots, disrupt passing lanes and had experience matching up anywhere from PG-PF at the college level … Improving 3 point shooter, was much more of a threat to make open shots from this past season (38% 3FG, best on the team) than as a Fr (21%) … Good rebounding instincts for a guard (5.8 rpg), will uses his length, instincts and leaping skills well to time and collect some misses on the offensive glass …

Weaknesses: Doesn’t have many skills that project him being much of a scoring threat at the NBA level … Lacks the quickness to beat defenders off the dribble and put pressure on defenses consistently or create much separation … Much improved spot up shooter, but not a natural (career 65% FT) and he takes too many heavily contested shots off the dribble in the mid-range area to be truly efficient creating for himself … Doesn’t make defenses pay enough when they dive his screens in pick and roll action, which makes it more difficult to space the floor when he’s operating with the ball … Not exactly a pure playmaker, became turnover prone (posted an even A:TO rate) with more shot creating responsibilities … Decision making and ball-handling ability are middling for a lead/combo guard prospect currently … Tends to dribble too much and get himself caught in no mans land, leading to sailed passes and wasted possessions … Plays with good pace, but also can be deliberate to a fault and lack the feel for the game you’d expect from a lead guard type…Versatile, but a bit of a “tweener” guard … Solid defender, but did have some trouble with quicker PGs even when he gave them space to corral them with his length, becoming “handsy” and somewhat foul prone …

Overall: Johnson’s productivity and spot up shooting improvements from his Fr. to Soph. seasons are encouraging developments for his draft stock … His performance at 2021 Combine also did him some favors as well, playing unselfishly in scrimmages while showing surprising athleticism and outstanding length that has intrigued a number of teams and scouts … There is also a chance that his modest assists numbers (3.2 apg) dont tell the full story of his passing skills, as Louisville wasn’t exactly the greatest shooting team … Still, he is a bit unrefined offensively, particularly when creating for himself, as he (and Louisville) really struggled to score in the 2nd half of last season … Some of the skills he needs to improve (handling the ball vs pressure, feel for the game, quickness) aren’t easily correctable and pretty much are imperative to success for PGs, but his versatility on the perimeter and defense could allow him time to find a role until he polished up some of those skills …

Notes: Measured: 6’3.25” barefoot, 6’4.75” in shoes,  8’8.0” standing reach, 202.8 lbs, 6’10.5” wingspan at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine …

Jorrye Nixon 7/19/21

Facebooktwitterredditmail