| Wesley Johnson |
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 | | STRENGTHS: |
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| - Efficiency | | - Relatively mistake-free | | - Shot-selection | | - Versatility | | - Ability to contest shots | | - Defensive potential | | - Versatility to defend multiple positions | | - Strong Intangibles | | - Unselfishness | | - High-level productivity | | - Athleticism | | - Size for position | | - Wingspan | | - Rebounding ability | | - 3-point shooting percentages | | - Ability to create separation from defender | | - Quick release | | WEAKNESSES: |
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| - Ability to get to free throw line | | - Go-to scoring mentality | | - Ability to create own shot | | - Advanced ball-handling skills | | - Limited upside? | | - Physical Toughness | | - Older than class peers | | Recent Tweets |
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| All Tweets | Nice article from @PeteThamelNYT about Wesley Johnson playing through pain: Syracuse Star Hurting, but Still Smiling- http://nyti.ms/c1KF5C
2010-02-28 17:59:22 | Woulda graduated already, but makes u wonder...RT @JohnGasaway: Louisiana-Monroe must be sad Wesley Johnson didn't accept their scholarship
2010-01-25 21:12:06 | For this year? Arinze Onuaku will get NBA looks at Portsmouth & such. RT @mrrodgers1: Is Wesley Johnson the only NBA prospect for Syracuse?
2010-01-25 17:16:15 | RT @PeteThamelNYT: My story on how Wesley Johnson found paradise only after navigating the shady HS hoops underworld. http://bit.ly/5WrVIQ
2010-01-25 10:54:12 | Wesley Johnson picks up his 4th foul on a moving screen. Raftery says he's coming off the flu...this is probably a game he'll want to forget
2010-01-22 14:46:33 | | Top 25s - Full List |
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| Team: Syracuse, Junior |
| Physicals | Positions | Rankings | Misc |
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H: 6' 7"
W: 195 lbs
Bday: 07/11/1987
(22 Years Old)
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Current: SF/PF
NBA: SF/PF
Possible: SF
| Round: 1 Pick: 8 in 2010 Mock Draft
Rank 3 in NCAA Juniors
Rank 7 in Top 100 Prospects
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High School: Corsicana/Patterson
Hometown: Corsicana, TX
Best Case: Shawn Marion
Worst Case: Travis Outlaw
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| Basic Per Game Statistics - Comprehensive Stats - Statistical Top 25s |
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| NCAA Weekly Performers, 1/15/10
January 15, 2010
Jonathan Givony
Likely the fastest riser of any draft prospect in this 2009-2010 NCAA season thus far, Wesley Johnson is already looking like a genius for deciding to transfer from Iowa State to Syracuse. He put himself on the map very early on with two outstanding games in the Preseason NIT in Madison Square Garden against Cal and North Carolina, and has continued his strong play into the Big East conference as well so far with outings like a 20 point, 19 rebound performance in a road win over Seton Hall.
As already discussed in each of our three previous scouting reports, Johnson fits the mold of your prototypical NBA small forward from a physical standpoint, and then some. His excellent size, length and athleticism give him a terrific base from which to build off of, and he’s really rounded out his skill-set now as well.
The biggest development that must be discussed is the improvement Johnson has made as a perimeter shooter. A career 31.6% 3-point shooter going into this season, Johnson has made 25 of his 55 attempts from beyond the arc thus far, good for 46%. While the number of attempts he’s averaging (just over 3) per game leaves something to be desired as far as the sample size is concerned, the smooth mechanics, deep range, quick release and terrific separation he creates elevating away from his defender should ease most of the concerns teams might have. As we discussed in the past, Johnson’s issues mostly stemmed from poor shot-selection, and since that problem has completely evaporated, his percentages have sky-rocketed accordingly.
While Johnson starts at the 3 for Syracuse (alongside Rick Jackson and Arinze Onuaku), there is no question that his coach Jim Boeheim much prefers to play him at the 4. It usually only takes a few minutes for Boeheim to sub in a guard for Jackson, and this clearly makes both Syracuse and Johnson quite a bit more effective.
One of the reasons Johnson doesn’t attempt all that many 3-pointers is because Syracuse would much rather get him the ball from 15-feet and in. It’s here that Johnson can operate as a huge mismatch against most collegiate forwards, as he can elevate smoothly for a mid-range jumper if his man sags off him, or blow right past him with his terrific first step if he plays him too closely. He has great quickness making his way into the lane, and appears to have worked extremely hard on polishing up some very impressive spin moves.
Developing his post game would probably be the next step, as he’s not always able to take advantage of his superior physical tools against weak defenders. He currently lacks much in the ways of footwork and doesn’t appear to be the toughest guy around.
Still not what you would call a great shot-creator, Johnson continues to struggle to get to the free throw line at a high rate. His ball-handling skills are average at best, as his left hand is weak, he has a difficult time changing directions with the ball in tight spaces, and he’s not very effective if he’s unable to beat his matchup with his pure first step.
That’s not as much of an issue with the way he’s being used at the moment for Syracuse, but there are legitimate concerns about whether he can be the type of player that can take over (or finish off) an NBA game as a one on one scorer, particularly when being matched up with similarly sized NBA small forwards. To his credit, Johnson appears to understand his limitations and isn’t very turnover prone.
Johnson contributes in a variety of areas for Syracuse, showing excellent versatility. Extremely unselfish and seemingly an outstanding teammate (on and off the court reportedly), the ball rarely gets stuck in his hands for more than a few seconds. He’s a terror in transition and a force on the offensive glass, averaging over 10 rebounds per-40 minutes pace adjusted. His scoring efficiency is impressive considering the load he carries for Syracuse, as he shoots 59% from 2-point range and 46% from beyond the arc.
Defensively, we run into the same issue we always do with Syracuse players—his team plays zone pretty much exclusively. Considering Johnson’s phenomenal physical tools, though—size, length, athleticism, and his high activity level, it’s not difficult to project him as a versatile and very effective defender at the NBA level. He already contributes nearly two steals and two blocks per game, and is able to switch seamlessly onto a variety of different styles of opponents without much of an issue.
There isn’t a great deal not to like about Johnson at the moment from an NBA perspective, and it’s no wonder that he’s shot up into the top-10 of most teams’ draft boards with his stellar play. The only concern teams might have about taking him in the high lottery is whether he is a good enough shot-creator and overall scorer to develop into a first-option type, or if he’s simply a terrific role-player.
Considering that he turns 23 this July, his upside may not be deemed quite as high as other combo forwards in this draft, such as Al-Farouq Aminu for example, who is three years younger than him. On the flip-side, he’ll be coming into the NBA ready to help the team that drafts him immediately, and there is a lot to be said for that.
 [Read Full Article]
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]
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