Strickland33
Well-known member
So, he's jacked, but never was a physical specimen? Aight. There's a lot of stuff going on in this thread and a lot of really idiotic comparisons.
I'll say this. Lots of scouts thought James Johnson was a lottery caliber talent. Lots of scouts thought that James Johnson put on a bit too much weight as a sophomore at Wake and pre-draft. Dude weighed in at like 6'7 260 at the combine. Whether or not he was a physical specimen - I happen to think that he was - he was the classic tweeter: wing instincts as a scorer and creator without the requisite handles and shooting touch. Fortunately, while you can't teach athleticism/size and it's really hard to teach yourself driving angles and footwork (i.e. Kobe, Wade, or Monta), you can really develop as a ball handler and as a spot up shooter. Look at Trent. Dude turned into a really solid spot up shooter as a senior. He didn't become a scorer until he started running in the D-League, but he managed to take a weakness and turn it into a strength, and became an asset to his team until he took up (earned) permanent residence in Skip's doghouse.
With Johnson, what you saw as a freshman is ultimately what you got as a player. That s really good, though. That made him an elite talent in college basketball and obviously positioned him well enough in scouts' eyes to get him drafted top-20. But he just never got better. I know it's tough to watch Sacto and Toronto, but do y'all actually think otherwise?
Whether you want to make excuses for him like he was never had potential (he did), that he wasn't a physical specimen (he was), that he wants to be an artist or fighter (umm ok?), etc. the reality is that he had a heck of a lot of ability, potential, and decision makers and staffs that believed in him and that, all of that considered, he still fell out of the NBA in four years. I attribute the fact that he couldn't improve on improvable things despite having outstanding physical tools and intangibles to work ethic.
JJ always struck me as a really good guy and he was a hell of a basketball player at Wake. Obviously, he's done really well relative to all people, relative to all basketball players, and relative to all first round picks. That's not what I was talking about. My comments are purely about what he's doing on the basketball court. If you want to stick your head in the sand about his own role in the demise of his NBA career than be my guest.
ETA: that's for you, cheesepritchard
I'll say this. Lots of scouts thought James Johnson was a lottery caliber talent. Lots of scouts thought that James Johnson put on a bit too much weight as a sophomore at Wake and pre-draft. Dude weighed in at like 6'7 260 at the combine. Whether or not he was a physical specimen - I happen to think that he was - he was the classic tweeter: wing instincts as a scorer and creator without the requisite handles and shooting touch. Fortunately, while you can't teach athleticism/size and it's really hard to teach yourself driving angles and footwork (i.e. Kobe, Wade, or Monta), you can really develop as a ball handler and as a spot up shooter. Look at Trent. Dude turned into a really solid spot up shooter as a senior. He didn't become a scorer until he started running in the D-League, but he managed to take a weakness and turn it into a strength, and became an asset to his team until he took up (earned) permanent residence in Skip's doghouse.
With Johnson, what you saw as a freshman is ultimately what you got as a player. That s really good, though. That made him an elite talent in college basketball and obviously positioned him well enough in scouts' eyes to get him drafted top-20. But he just never got better. I know it's tough to watch Sacto and Toronto, but do y'all actually think otherwise?
Whether you want to make excuses for him like he was never had potential (he did), that he wasn't a physical specimen (he was), that he wants to be an artist or fighter (umm ok?), etc. the reality is that he had a heck of a lot of ability, potential, and decision makers and staffs that believed in him and that, all of that considered, he still fell out of the NBA in four years. I attribute the fact that he couldn't improve on improvable things despite having outstanding physical tools and intangibles to work ethic.
JJ always struck me as a really good guy and he was a hell of a basketball player at Wake. Obviously, he's done really well relative to all people, relative to all basketball players, and relative to all first round picks. That's not what I was talking about. My comments are purely about what he's doing on the basketball court. If you want to stick your head in the sand about his own role in the demise of his NBA career than be my guest.
ETA: that's for you, cheesepritchard
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