| Wesley Johnson |
|---|
 |
|
| Team: Syracuse, Junior |
| Physicals | Positions | Rankings | Misc |
|---|
H: 6' 7"
W: 195 lbs
Bday: 07/11/1987
(22 Years Old)
|
Current: SF/PF
NBA: SF/PF
Possible: SF
| Round: 2 Pick: 13 in 2011 Mock Draft
Rank 81 in Top 100 Prospects
|
High School: Corsicana/Patterson
Hometown: Corsicana, TX
|
|
| Basic Per Game Statistics - Comprehensive Stats - Statistical Top 25s |
|
| Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big East Part Two (#6-10)
October 11, 2009
Jonathan Givony
After an outstanding freshman (06-07) season at Iowa State—which led us to write a lengthy scouting report that we’ll now use as a reference—Wesley Johnson appeared to stagnate in his sophomore (07-08) year, and promptly decided to transfer to Syracuse, where he’ll now be starting his junior season after sitting out all of last year (08-09).
Before we get into the progress the now 22-year old Johnson made between his first two seasons at Iowa State, it should be mentioned that he’s already bounced around far more than normal for a player entering his junior year of college basketball. He initially committed to play at Louisiana Monroe in 2005, but instead opted to go the prep-school route after the coach that recruited him retired. He momentarily elected to head to Lon Morris College (Texas JUCO) but quickly thought better of that, instead picking the Patterson School in North Carolina for about two months, before again transferring to Eldon Academy in Michigan, a school that eventually shut down and left him out in the cold. He eventually committed to Iowa State largely due to the presence of assistant Jean Prioleau (now at TCU), but only stuck around for two years for unknown reasons, deciding to again leave, this time for Syracuse. While this constant nomadic drifting between cities and schools is surely not going to make or break his NBA prospects, it’s definitely something teams will look at when the time is right.
When we last looked at Johnson back in 2007, we marveled at his outstanding physical profile, particularly his terrific size, length and athleticism. Something went wrong after that excellent freshman season, though, as his minutes dropped somewhat, while his shooting percentages plummeted. It appears that Johnson fell in love with his 3-point shot excessively, as half of his attempts came from that range, while his rebounding and blocks dropped by about 50% and his turnovers increased. It’s a pretty safe bet that Johnson was either moved or felt the need to move away from the combo forward position (where he thrived in a Shawn Marion-esqe role) and was reinvented or decided to reinvent himself as more of a swingman. He was also suffering from a nagging foot injury (reportedly a stress fracture) that surely played a role in his struggles, while there was apparently some sort of disagreement between him and the coaching staff regarding the extent that he should be playing on it, which may have led to him transferring.
With a fresh slate at Syracuse, there will be a number of areas to monitor in regards to his development as an NBA prospect. Johnson showed considerable shot-making ability in his last year at Iowa State, looking absolutely deadly coming off screens and making tough jumpers with a hand in his face. The problem is that he got way too caught up with this part of his game, to the point that his shot-selection looked downright awful at times. Johnson is clearly a much better shooter than the 33.3% he shot from beyond the arc in 2007-2008, the question is how much better? His willingness to avoid taking the terribly off-balance contested shots that he became known for as a Cyclone will play a huge role in this.
Secondly, for someone who is as athletic as Johnson is, you wouldn’t always immediately guess that by the way he operates on the court. His rebounding numbers were paltry as a sophomore, and he doesn’t get to the free throw line nearly as much as he should. The reason for that are his mediocre ball-handling skills, which make it extremely difficult for him to get to the rim in half-court situations, particularly using his left hand. His poor decision making shows up here as well, often in the form of ill-advised drives and turnovers.
Defensively, Johnson has the size, length and athleticism to guard multiple positions at both the college and NBA level, but you didn’t always see him applying himself as much as he should. He seems to lack focus at times, and allows himself to get pushed around a bit too easily, as he appears to lack both bulk and some toughness to help get the job done. Regardless, Johnson has great potential in this area due to his excellent physical tools, and could develop into a very good defender in time with some good coaching, a better mentality, and more experience. We might have to wait a few years to get a better read on this, though, since he’ll be stuck playing in Syracuse’s ultra-conservative 2-3 zone defense for the time being.
Johnson is getting quite a bit of attention in the lead-up to the college basketball season, as Syracuse’s coaching staff has been pumping him up in a major way to the national media. With Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf all decided to leave the team early for the professional ranks, the Orange will need Johnson to have a big year if they’re to hold their own in the tough Big East.
 [Read Full Article]
Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big 12 (Part Three: #11-#15)
October 13, 2007
While there were many more heralded freshman entering the Big 12 last season, the most productive of them statistically came from off the beaten path-- Iowa State. Not even a top 150 high school recruit, Wesley Johnson caught the conference off guard, posting averages of 12 points and 8 rebounds per game—while beginning to familiarize his name with attentive NBA personnel in the process.
Standing 6-7, Johnson owns good size for a small forward prospect. He combines his height with freakish leaping ability and an outstanding wingspan, giving him even more of an advantage physically over most opposing wing players. Often the Cyclone freshman is able to jump two times in the same time that it takes others to jump once, a testament to the pogo stick leaping ability that he possesses.
As the season went on, it was more and more evident that we were looking at a legitimate small forward prospect, rather than the dreaded “combo forward” that so many 6’7 forwards often end up being labeled as. Johnson displayed the ability to shoot the ball from the three point arc as well as from midrange, although without any real consistency. He would go on stretches of hitting two or three 3-pointers for a couple of games in a row, but would then go without connecting on a single 3-point attempt in others. The lengthy forward even dropped five 3-pointers on Missouri last February, although in a blowout loss. In terms of the form on Wesley’s shot, there is very little to complain about. He releases the ball from a high vantage point and gets the ball off in a hurry, while maintaining consistent form either shooting off the dribble or on the catch and shoot. Simply put, Johnson appears to be a better shooter than the numbers reflect.
Despite only tipping the scales at a meager 195 pounds, Wesley has displayed the ability to consistently post up opposing forwards. He often goes to a turnaround jumper on the blocks, which he is able to turn to either shoulder and hit with regularity. Strength is an area of his game that he will need to improve upon however, as bigger forwards will look to abuse his lack of bulk at the next level. For the moment, though, his slender frame hasn’t posed too many problems for him.
Ball-handling is the one area of Johnson’s game that clearly has the most room for improvement. He is strictly a two dribble straight-line dribbler, unable to create much more than what he is able to get from catching the defense off-balance with his initial first step. Often Wesley will look for a high ball screen when he has the ball in his hands, primarily to make up for his inability to create off of the dribble. His first step allows him to create enough space to get his shot off on a consistent basis, somewhat minimizing the effects of his below average dribbling ability.
The defensive end of the floor is where Johnson truly shows promise of being a special player. He does an excellent job of staying on the floor, while fully utilizing his outstanding length, both in terms of blocking shots and creating steals. The Texas native proved that he can defend both small forwards and power forwards, owning the quickness to keep in front of wings and the length to alter post players’ shots. Often forced to guard the opposing team’s best forward prospect, Johnson proved to be one of Iowa State’s steadier defenders, despite only being a freshman.
With the departure of last year’s leading scorer Mike Taylor, the Cyclones will be Wesley Johnson’s team this upcoming season. He will have the opportunity to vastly improve upon the intriguing numbers that he put up as a freshman, given that many more plays will certainly be called for him. Look for this season to be Johnson’s breakout campaign, firmly placing him on the radar of NBA teams and making him a name discussed by die-hard basketball fans around the country.
[Read Full Article]
| |
|
