This season, Stanley Johnson averaged 6.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game and shot 52 percent from the field. In the last game, the Lakers ended a losing streak and beat the Jazz at home, and Johnson had to take the credit. He scored 10 points alone in the crucial 4th quarter, hitting consecutive hits to help the team reverse the score. Johnson also mentioned in a recent interview that he is far from reaching his peak, and he can get better.
Johnson is the no. 8 pick in the first round of 2015 and is still 25 years old and very young. The player has indeed not reached his peak and he can get better in the future. Johnson is a player who is not small. He was the seventh high school student in the United States in 2014 and the first small forward in the United States. The National Rankings were higher than Russell and Towns at the time. It's hard to imagine that Johnson, signed by the Lakers on a short contract, was so strong at the time.
Johnson's physical talent is very outstanding, this season Johnson's official weight is 109 kg, height is 1 meter 98, the field is almost like a tank, the impact is very strong. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to single Gobert in his last game against the Jazz. Johnson quickly showed his physical talent when he entered the league, and he had a strong ability to finish. There is also very good room for development on the defensive end. The movement speed is not slow, the strength confrontation is strong, and it is theoretically possible to defend 4 positions. Johnson playing big forwards is not a problem.
However, such an all-round and physically excellent striker did not get the opportunity to develop accordingly. Johnson did not fully adapt to the intensity of the NBA's confrontation at the beginning, and johnson did not play much time after entering the league, and the Pistons were more cautious about Johnson's use. The Pistons weren't short of interior and front lines at the time. In his third season, Johnson's playing time soared to 28 minutes, starting 50 of his 69 games, but this season Johnson missed his chances, averaging less than double-digit points per game and shooting less than 40 percent from the field. The shortcomings of his unstable projection ability were further magnified, and he was often shot empty by his opponents. So far in his career, he has averaged only 29.8 percent from three-point range, which is quite inefficient.
However, Johnson was the nation's first small forward after all, or in 2014, a year of talent. Johnson has not stopped polishing himself in these seasons, he has been strengthening his skills, and finally this season in the Lakers Johnson seized the opportunity. The Lakers didn't specifically ask Johnson for a shot from the outside. Instead, the Lakers focused on exploring his interior finish and defensive ability, playing Johnson next to James.
The Lakers lack defensive top soldiers this season, and Johnson is spending more and more time, and his current average playing time has reached 21 minutes per game. There is a trend of improvement in the future. The most important point is that Johnson is only 25 years old, the technique can not be practiced again, shooting can be slowly polished, the ability to hold the ball can be slowly improved, and there is even room for defensive awareness. So the Lakers signing Johnson with a short contract is definitely a safe deal. Johnson may be the biggest surprise for the team this season, becoming the next Caruso of the Lakers. In Los Angeles, Johnson may be able to chase the same self, and the first small forward in the United States in 2014 may bloom in the Los Angeles Lakers. Dear readers, how do you see Johnson's career prospects? Feel free to leave a message in the comments section.