NBA Comparison: Stephen Jackson/TJ Warren

Strengths: Athletic and versatile point forward with an excellent frame at 6’9, 220 pounds and 6’11 wingspan … Athleticism on full display on the glass where he posted a lot of rebounds (6.1 per game) … Three-point shooting is not his greatest asset, but he showcased potential at 44% on only 18 attempts … Lengthy defender who forces turnovers and gets blocks (1.2 blocked shots and steals per game) … Very solid versatility … Solid ball-handling for his size … Shows solid vision and passing skills for a forward … Showed that he’s capable of running the point  (forward) and creating mismatches in the post and on the perimeter … Versatility on the defensive end as well with the lateral quickness and strength to cover guards on switches and hold his own in the paint … Played a lot of 4 at Suke and showed the ability to defend in the post … Quickness and power on the drive creates opportunities for teammates and unlocks his elite finishing at the rim … Averaged 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists per 40 minutes as a freshman at Duke … Excellent speed and control in transition … Finds his way to the rim with great speed and strength on straight line drives … Drew fouls often with 5.5 attempts per 40 minutes … Could develop into a stretch four at the next level with his excellent size and versatility … Despite a very disappointing season, came into year as a top 10 prospect and teams may find his potential too difficult to pass up in the late lottery to mid first round …

Weaknesses: Three-point shooting has the potential to be a strength or major weakness. Teams left Johnson alone on the perimeter to take away his driving ability, but he was starting to take advantage of the space he was given by shooting 4-4 over his last three games from distance … Capable of running the point, but turnovers became a problem early and often in his career … Inconsistency plagued his season and cost him minutes during conference play. Followed up a 7 assist and 0 turnover game against Pitt with 0 assists and 6 turnovers against Louisville  … Ended the season with more turnovers than assists … Attitude concerns surround him … How dedicated is he to being a team guy?  Opting out of the season early is a clear red flag for scouts … The lack of experience is concerning, especially if turnovers remain a problem at the next level … Missed out on time to develop making turnovers and poor perimeter shooting a potential problem in the early part of his career … He could struggle to find valuable minutes if this is the case … Poor free-throw shooting is not a promising sign for his eventual development of an outside jumper (63.2% on 38 attempts)

Outlook: Attended IMG Academy in his senior season of high school … 13 games played and 8 starts for Duke as a freshman … Averaged 11.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.2 APG, 2.5 TO in his time at Duke …

Notes: Measured 6’7.75” barefoot, 6’9.25” in shoes 8’10.0” standing reach, 209.6 lbs, and 7’0.25” wingspan at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine … 2019 Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year …

Derek Bast 3/12/21

Strengths: 6’8 point forward … Great size and length for position with a 6’10.5 wingspan … Very good athlete and well-coordinated. Finishes above the rim with ease. Good speed and gets to the rim to finish with either hand. Slashes off the dribble and gets to the rim fairly easily. Thrives in transition as a leader and finisher … Good instincts and IQ. Good ball handler and very good passer. Great court vision and unlike most players his age, he displays it well in the half-court. Makes lead passes to cutters and crosscourt passes to open shooters. Draws the defense and finds the open man. Finished 8th over the Nike EYBL with 5.8 assists per game in 2019 … Good scoring ability. Averaged 17.2 points per game at 49.1% FG% over the Nike EYBL in 2019. Finished 7th in scoring at the NBPA Top 100 with 14.4 points per game in 2019 … Good rebounder and instantly starts the offense after grabbing boards. Finished 7th over the Nike EYBL with 9.2 rebounds per game in 2019. Finished 2nd at the NBPA Top 100 in rebounding with 8.4 per game in 2019 … Versatile defender and can switch onto different positions. Averaged 1.4 steals per game over the Nike EYBL in 2019. Averaged 1.2 steals per game at the NBPA Top 100 in 2019 … Good shot blocker for position and rotates well as a help defender. Averaged 1.2 blocks per game over the Nike EYBL in 2019 … Strong frame …

Weaknesses: Must improve as a shooter, which would add to an already effective scorer. Defense tends to sag off him and he passes up open looks. Shoots on the way down and a lot of his misses fall short. Shot 20% 3PT% over the Nike EYBL in 2019. Shot 25% 3PT% at the NBPA Top 100 in 2019 … Needs to improve as a free throw shooter as well. Shot 63.5% FT% over the Nike EYBL in 2019 … Although he has no issue putting points on the board, he can develop more of a scoring mentality and putting up points when his team needs him to score … Despite playmaking ability, he can work on limiting the turnovers. Finished 5th over the Nike EYBL with 3.6 turnovers per game in 2019 …

Outlook: Transferring to IMG Academy for his senior year … 2019 All-EYBL: First Team … 2019 Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year …

Notes: Johnson measured 6’7 barefoot, 6’8 in shoes, 215 lbs, with a 6’11.5 wingspan, and a 8’8.5 standing reach in mid 2018 …

Evan Tomes 9/3/19