Get To Know: Stanley Johnson

Mario Hezonja didn’t get his wish, as the Orlando Magic snagged the Croatian wingman with the number five overall pick. Detroit got the second player on their draft board in Stanley Johnson.

The California native, who measured up at 6’6″ and 242 pounds, will be coming to the Motor City with expectations of starting at some point in the regular season. Johnson was regarded as a ‘safe’ pick. His physical tools will allow for some serious leverage when it comes to developing his basketball skills. Johnson’s physical stature gives him the potential to be a great defensive stopper in the NBA, which is a tool that will be appreciated by the Motor City and Stan Van Gundy.

Johnson’s biggest upside is his scoring ability. He was the man at Arizona, leading the Wildcats with 13.8 points-per-game. While playing in every game, the Arizona product played the third most amount of minutes on the team (28.4). What is most impressive about Johnson’s scoring ability is the variety of the ways he can score. Johnson can pull up from three, as he shot 37.1% from behind the arc in college. His immense physical stature mean he can drive to the rim (although his finishing can be suspect), and he even has a jumper that can be improved upon. Johnson’s three-point shooting ability will most definitely be an asset in Detroit. Stan Van Gundy could look to replicate the identity of his Orlando teams, as well as having Andre Drummond playing the role of Dwight Howard.

Stanley Johnson had a lot of pressure on his shoulders at Arizona, which led to questionable on-court decisions. This is a weakness that can be easily ironed out in Detroit. Stan Van Gundy and his team will be able to develop Johnson to have a calmer demeanor on the count and not be erratic in with his play. Considering he will be a small fish in a big pond, Johnson won’t have the huge responsibilities on his shoulders like he did at Arizona.

Johnson could potentially be the third or fourth option in Detroit’s offense, so there could be problems relating to consistency. Johnson could struggle to find a rhythm in an offense that will go through Reggie Jackson and Drummond. As he develops, there’s no doubt he will go up in the pecking order of Detroit’s scoring options as he adjusts to the NBA.

 

How does he fit in with Detroit?

Pretty good. Detroit has Tayshaun Prince to occupy the small forward position adequately, and he’s 35. Stanley Johnson will see progressively more minutes throughout the year as Prince struggles to keep up with the demands of an NBA season, while Johnson is raring to play. The most important factor for development is minutes and the rookie will find them in large quantities.

Johnson will also fill Detroit’s need for shooters. As the Golden State Warriors have just illustrated, shooters win championships (and also historically good defense). Detroit finished 17th in offensive efficiency, so any help on offense is more than welcomed. Detroit also finished 21st in defensive efficiency, so Johnson’s defensive upside will be more than welcomed with the likes of LeBron James, Jabari Parker, Paul George and (presumably) Jimmy Butler running riot in the Central Division.