Re: 2010 NBA Draft Thread.
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—Wesley Johnson knows what’s good. Knows that the NBA places a premium on youth the way guys do in the dating game and knows that he’s the (23-year-)old man mentioned alongside the teenage basketball firm of Favors, Cousins and Co. when the discussion alights on any name other than Wall or Turner.
He also knows there’s upside untapped in his system.
“I played a couple years in college, and taking that into consideration, I think of myself as young, too,” Johnson explained. “Scratch my age – I really started playing basketball in 8th grade, 9th grade. I jumped into the game late, so I count myself as the same age (as those guys), basketball-wise.”
The 6-foot-7, 205-pound Johnson worked out for the Nets on Thursday at the PNY Center, allowing them an opportunity to find out how Johnson reacted to an individually tailored session intended to stretch him toward any limitations that might not have manifested during his All-America junior season at Syracuse. After sitting out a year following his transfer from Iowa State, Johnson stuffed stat lines nightly, averaging 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals while shooting .415 from three-point range and .502 overall.
But he did that while roaming defensively in the Orange coach Jim Boeheim’s vaunted 2-3 zone, and the Nets wanted to test Johnson’s lateral quickness to get a better read on his on-ball potential. Director of Player Personnel Gregg Polinsky praised Johnson for his attitude, knowing the Nets would press him on the issue and going full bore to prove his readiness.
“He was fairly persistent with his work ethic,” Polinsky said. “Even though he might have had stomach cramps, he got through the workout. What you got to see with him was – especially for Coach (Avery) Johnson – the efficiency of his game, where you can utilize him in terms where he catches the ball, location. The coach starts to put in his mind how he can utilize this individual. It was a realistic picture of what Wesley Johnson will do and, to some extent, will be early on in the NBA.”
Polinsky said that Johnson showed the ability to play several places on the floor offensively, wielding a quick release and a “lively body.” Also evident was Johnson’s maturity, which Polinsky described as evident in a more relaxed approach, noting that during the workout Johnson once smiled at Avery Johnson and Nets President Rod Thorn, signaling his acknowledgement they were pushing him and that he was relishing the moment.
Johnson similarly rose to a challenge when he suffered a hand injury in February that affected his right thumb, along with the middle and index fingers, preventing him from making a fist with his shooting hand. It also skewed his driving tendencies to a 70-30 split toward the left in 30 isolation situations and 60-30 left in 30 drives following a spot-up, according to Synergy Sports.
Johnson said he’s always favored southpaw rim attacks, mostly because defenders have long shaded him away from his dominant hand, but it was exacerbated by the injury. He recognizes the adjustment will likely benefit him long-term, adding an element of ambidexterity that should make his moves harder to anticipate.
The Corsicana, Texas native enjoyed having the chance to work out for Avery Johnson, whom he admired while watching the Mavericks’ successful run as a high school student. Johnson believes Avery Johnson’s drive has the Nets taking a huge step in the right direction, a thought bolstered by Mikhail Prokhorov’s resources and the team’s core players under contract, specifically mentioning Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, Terrence Williams and Courtney Lee.
With two workouts behind him (also: Minnesota) and just one (Philadelphia) remaining, Johnson has a pretty good read on his draft stock. Honored to be a likely top-5 pick, he knows all he can do is wait out the ride until his name is called a week from today. Yet Johnson remains ready to showcase his skills for a new audience in whichever city he’ll soon call home.
“It’s more back to me, how you’re in the backyard just playing or playing one-on-one with a friend. It’s coming here, just being myself. And coming to the NBA, it’s going to be more me, moreso than not. I’m not saying I’m going to shy away from the team, by no means, but I’m just saying it’s going to be more Wes out there playing. Come see the real Wes.”
The Nets and the other high-drafting teams will indeed see Johnson several times next season, though no fans know for certain whether he’ll be rocking their favorite uniform or an opponent’s. Executives making the decision will weigh Johnson’s maturity and polish against the tantalizing, though uncertain potential of his younger counterparts.
“(Wes) is probably – for lack of a better word – safer,” Polinsky said. “Each team has to figure out what piece of the puzzle that guy works into, what your risk-reward is for each player you’re looking at. And make a determination on, ‘Do you want a guy who is more unknown and might have more pop in the future, or are you going to stand pat on 20?’ That’s a blackjack term – don’t split pictures.”
He also knows there’s upside untapped in his system.
“I played a couple years in college, and taking that into consideration, I think of myself as young, too,” Johnson explained. “Scratch my age – I really started playing basketball in 8th grade, 9th grade. I jumped into the game late, so I count myself as the same age (as those guys), basketball-wise.”
The 6-foot-7, 205-pound Johnson worked out for the Nets on Thursday at the PNY Center, allowing them an opportunity to find out how Johnson reacted to an individually tailored session intended to stretch him toward any limitations that might not have manifested during his All-America junior season at Syracuse. After sitting out a year following his transfer from Iowa State, Johnson stuffed stat lines nightly, averaging 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals while shooting .415 from three-point range and .502 overall.
But he did that while roaming defensively in the Orange coach Jim Boeheim’s vaunted 2-3 zone, and the Nets wanted to test Johnson’s lateral quickness to get a better read on his on-ball potential. Director of Player Personnel Gregg Polinsky praised Johnson for his attitude, knowing the Nets would press him on the issue and going full bore to prove his readiness.
“He was fairly persistent with his work ethic,” Polinsky said. “Even though he might have had stomach cramps, he got through the workout. What you got to see with him was – especially for Coach (Avery) Johnson – the efficiency of his game, where you can utilize him in terms where he catches the ball, location. The coach starts to put in his mind how he can utilize this individual. It was a realistic picture of what Wesley Johnson will do and, to some extent, will be early on in the NBA.”
Polinsky said that Johnson showed the ability to play several places on the floor offensively, wielding a quick release and a “lively body.” Also evident was Johnson’s maturity, which Polinsky described as evident in a more relaxed approach, noting that during the workout Johnson once smiled at Avery Johnson and Nets President Rod Thorn, signaling his acknowledgement they were pushing him and that he was relishing the moment.
Johnson similarly rose to a challenge when he suffered a hand injury in February that affected his right thumb, along with the middle and index fingers, preventing him from making a fist with his shooting hand. It also skewed his driving tendencies to a 70-30 split toward the left in 30 isolation situations and 60-30 left in 30 drives following a spot-up, according to Synergy Sports.
Johnson said he’s always favored southpaw rim attacks, mostly because defenders have long shaded him away from his dominant hand, but it was exacerbated by the injury. He recognizes the adjustment will likely benefit him long-term, adding an element of ambidexterity that should make his moves harder to anticipate.
The Corsicana, Texas native enjoyed having the chance to work out for Avery Johnson, whom he admired while watching the Mavericks’ successful run as a high school student. Johnson believes Avery Johnson’s drive has the Nets taking a huge step in the right direction, a thought bolstered by Mikhail Prokhorov’s resources and the team’s core players under contract, specifically mentioning Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, Terrence Williams and Courtney Lee.
With two workouts behind him (also: Minnesota) and just one (Philadelphia) remaining, Johnson has a pretty good read on his draft stock. Honored to be a likely top-5 pick, he knows all he can do is wait out the ride until his name is called a week from today. Yet Johnson remains ready to showcase his skills for a new audience in whichever city he’ll soon call home.
“It’s more back to me, how you’re in the backyard just playing or playing one-on-one with a friend. It’s coming here, just being myself. And coming to the NBA, it’s going to be more me, moreso than not. I’m not saying I’m going to shy away from the team, by no means, but I’m just saying it’s going to be more Wes out there playing. Come see the real Wes.”
The Nets and the other high-drafting teams will indeed see Johnson several times next season, though no fans know for certain whether he’ll be rocking their favorite uniform or an opponent’s. Executives making the decision will weigh Johnson’s maturity and polish against the tantalizing, though uncertain potential of his younger counterparts.
“(Wes) is probably – for lack of a better word – safer,” Polinsky said. “Each team has to figure out what piece of the puzzle that guy works into, what your risk-reward is for each player you’re looking at. And make a determination on, ‘Do you want a guy who is more unknown and might have more pop in the future, or are you going to stand pat on 20?’ That’s a blackjack term – don’t split pictures.”
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