Prospect Watch: Stanley Johnson
When the draft process started and it was official the Thunder were picking 14th, Stanley Johnson was my guy. I loved his defensive ability and two-way NBA potential. Strong, tough, physical, and a little Jimmy Butler-ish.
Nothing has really changed to sway me, but problem is, it looks less and less likely the Thunder would have a chance to take him.
It’s not that Johnson’s stock has soared from impressive workouts or draft buzz. He’s just steadily been in the top 8-10 of the draft, leaving the Thunder with an unlikely chance to grab him. Still: He’s probably my favorite fit for the Thunder in the range they’re picking.
The vitals: Johnson is a 19-year-old 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Arizona. He’s built at around 240 pounds, and has a solid 6-11 wingspan. He’s primarily a slasher and mid-range scorer, doing most of his damage off drives or cuts. He can definitely score (he had 15 games with 15 or more points last season).
He’s not a polished perimeter shooter yet, despite hitting 37 percent from 3. But there’s clearly a solid framework for him in place to blossom into a consistent knockdown guy. He has good mechanics and a nice release. He played out of control a lot, and sometimes got a bit ball-hoggy, looking to force a drive rather than make an easy swing. The other big weakness from his freshman season: He wore a baggy t-shirt under his jersey for some reason. So, decision-making is a question mark.
But where his real potential is, is defensively. He was an excellent rebounder for his position at Arizona, and a bulldog guarding on the ball. He plays exceptionally hard, running on a non-stop motor. Another plus: He’s got some defensive versatility, with the likely ability to guard three positions.
I haven’t seen a mock yet where Johnson was available to the Thunder at 14, except for this SI.com one that came out today where he dropped to 15. Taking Johnson furthers the logjam that’s already there in the backcourt, but what’s pretty clear is the Thunder are searching for a guy. And once that guy is found, they can start trimming the fat. Maybe that’s by offloading Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones and Steve Novak, as reported. That’s not at all an enticing enough package to move into the top 10 with — quit kidding yourselves, Thunder fans — but if they could turn those three into another pick, that could help. Personally, I like Johnson enough that I’d make the effort to get there.
Remember, Johnson said this at the combine, which is probably a lie, but whatever:
“I think they think I’m the best two-way player in the draft. And that’s appealing to them, as it is to most people. They really like me.”
SOLD.
The Thunder’s clear roster weakness is at shooting guard, and it’s existed since the team relocated from Seattle. Thabo Sefolosha had a couple nice seasons, but it’s never really been a (starting) position of strength. If Johnson were to magically fall to them, they might be able to start changing that.
